Bittersweet Rhapsody
by Lady Aegis
Summary: Three years have passed since Inuyasha rejected Kagome in favor of Kikyo, and since a crushed Kagome left him forever. Fate has its way of intervening, however, and she soon finds herself teaming up once again with the hanyou who broke her heart... IKag?
1. Despondency

Disclaimer: Feh, I am in no way even CLOSE to owning Inuyasha!

Author's Note: This fic occurs sometime after Kouga's tribe is slaughtered (the episode number is somewhere in the 30's, I think) yet BEFORE Episode 48. In fact, you could even sort of think of Chapter 1 as Episode 48 gone bad...

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Bittersweet Rhapsody

By Lady Aegis

Summary: After Inuyasha rejects Kagome for Kikyo, Kagome leaves the Feudal Era for good, sealing up the well behind her. Three years later, however, through unexpected circumstance she finds herself back in the past, again having to fight and destroy Naraku, who has become an even greater threat during her absence. But there are many questions that she needs to have answered… Why is she back in the Feudal Era? What has happened to Kikyo, who at one time seemed forever bonded to Inuyasha? And what of Inuyasha himself? These questions are slowly answered amidst her struggles with Inuyasha, her conflicting yet lingering feelings for him, and of the machinations of Naraku in the background… Inuyasha/Kagome? Established Miroku/Sango.

Category: I classified this fic as romance/drama, because it's, well...romance/drama. There will also be some funny bits here and there, and even a few very angsty ones.

Rating: PG-13 for choice words, ample sexual tension, innuendo, and a little violence. I guarantee you that this is only temporary. Somewhere along the line I will bump this up to an R, and if there is popular agreement I might even include a lemon (though I will likely just link you to mediaminer and let you read it there when the time comes).

Characters: Inuyasha and Kagome, obviously... I can't tell you what the pairing will be, since the whole point of this fic is to see if they'll finally get together. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kouga, Naraku, Kaede, and even Sesshomaru will also be major players. Anyway, if you like what you see, read on:

Although her hair had been meticulously groomed to the point of silkiness, eighteen year old Kagome Hirugashi still managed to let forth an irritated curse as she stared into the mirror, watching herself with critical brown eyes as she ran the brush through haphazardly. "_Dammit_, why won't this hair of mine EVER stay?! And especially when it NEEDS to!!"

She leaned over sideways to peer anxiously out of her bedroom window, praying to every higher being ever thought of that the car she was currently thinking of was NOT turning onto her street. It was a perfect, brand-new car, of course, a shiny red Toyota with every feature thought of by man. A car that most girls her age would have _killed _to even have a ride around the block in.

What she was more worried about, however, was not the car but the young man driving it. Again, he was something that most girls would have killed to have. He was handsome, he was intelligent, he was funny...he had a heart of gold and that spot of tenderness that most males did not possess. He was the absolute perfect catch...but this was all lost upon Kagome as she continued to stare anxiously down at the street.

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(Ohhhhh...Yuka, Eri, Ayumi...) Her teeth bared involuntarily as she thought of her three excitable friends. _(WHY on EARTH did you do this to me?! I honestly don't want to go out with him! I honestly DON'T! Why did you EVER tell him that I would go to a movie with him today?!)_

She should have expected it eventually, though. It HAD, after all, only been a matter of time before Hojo caught up to her and she ran out of excuses to dodge another outing with him. Three years was a long time to avoid _anyone, _especially someone who was quite smitten with you, and double especially when one's friends had given an ample amount of encouragement to him. _(Too bad I've run out of sicknesses and can't run off to Feudal Japan anymore.) _She bared her teeth again as she yet again recalled the reason of her three year absence from the Warring States Era. But perhaps recall wasn't the word, as it was, after all, constantly hovering on the back of her mind...

Dropping the brush, she stepped back and surveyed herself in the full-length mirror, going over every inch of her feminine form. Her normally unruly hair glided amply down past her shoulders, and her face had been made up so that every blemish, every flaw had disappeared. The conservatively colored floral top with dark pewter skirt seemed to flatter her curves, matched with small-heeled beige pumps that at least would not kill her as she walked. She was by no means a beauty, she concluded, but she was sure it would be enough to please Hojo, since he was the one chasing her in the first place. Although why she was _trying _to look nice for him in the first place was anyone's guess, especially beyond hers.

She suddenly jumped as she heard a horn honk sharply somewhere below her. "Oh, no, that's HIM!" she muttered desperately, almost tripping over her own feet as she hastily clattered down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Once down she immediately caught sight of her twelve year old brother Sota grinning at her rather wickedly from his spot at the table. "Going on a date with goody-two-shoes Hojo?" he taunted mockingly, his Game Boy forgotten in favor of torturing his older sister as he made some loud, slurping kissing noises at her. "I didn't know that he was your BOY-FRIEND!"

"I _told _you," Kagome replied fiercely, "He's NOT my boyfriend, and I don't appreciate it when you call him that!"

Sota rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, sister. He sure fits the description of a boyfriend to me, anyway. Just remember what I said later on, though-" -here he made even more disgusting kissing sounds- "-there's no way that you're gonna get me into a suit in you guys' wedding!"

Kagome, however, didn't even hear him, as the screen door had already slammed behind her and she was currently approaching the Toyota, feeling her stomach give a rather nervous lurch as she caught sight of Hojo, who was beaming at her.

He got up, and, ever the gentlemen, helped her into the car, then going back and getting into the driver's seat himself. "Nice evening, isn't it?" he asked her politely as he shifted gears and accelerated out into the street, somehow managing to give her a warm smile and keeping his eyes on the road at the same time.

"Um...yeah," Kagome replied quietly, smoothing her skirt out in a lady-like manner. An embarrassed silence followed; she sighed as she seemed to absorb all of the nervous tension oozing out from an unknown source. If it was one thing she hated, it was tension. She'd definitely had enough of that, her trips to the past had given her enough for three lifetimes.

She sighed again as she faintly heard Hojo asking her something about the seat warmers. _(Damn him...he's so - so - COMPLIANT. He's TOO perfect. I wish he'd at least argue with me for once or something---then I can at least determine that he's HUMAN.)_ For the THIRD time that day, she again bared her teeth. _(Oh, WHAT am I complaining about anyway?! Hojo's the perfect guy for me---he's not - he's not - he's not like Inuyasha, for chrissakes! Geez...) _By now she gripping the leather armrest of Hojo's perfect car rather tightly...

They had decided to go to a romantic comedy at a large cinema in Tokyo that night. It was to no one's surprise that Hojo had readily agreed to a chick flick such as this one; he obviously wanted to be depicted as the tender, caring man who thought gory movies that reeked of blood and violence as completely tasteless. Kagome somehow managed to crawl through the tense, three hour marathon with a grim smile on her face, although she hated the movie itself with a passion and she hated Hojo's warm, lithe arm around her shoulders even more. She managed to suppress a shudder every time his hand purposely brushed hers as she reached for a handful of popcorn, every time he smiled at her and looked at her with those unfathomable, sparkling blue eyes...

Why did she dislike him so much? Why did it not seem right? Why did she feel like her heart still belonged to someone else? Hojo was the nicest, most caring guy that she had ever come across---and even here in the dark theater legions of girls were gazing at her jealously. Her heart sank deeply down as she realized that her heart already held the answer...

"That was a great movie, wasn't it?" Hojo asked her pleasantly as he turned into the busy freeway after the eternal movie had finally grinded to a clumsy halt. "Really, I NEVER expected her to go for the other guy like that! Why on earth would she choose such an uncouth ruffian over a handsome rich doctor?!"

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(It's more common than you might think,) Kagome thought sadly as she sat next to him, hands folded on her lap, staring out the window at the bright skyline. _(But it's not your fault, Hojo, it's not your fault.)_

"So I hear from Eri that you've been accepted into Tokyo University," Hojo went on. "What a place---I've decided to go there too. I was very lucky---it only accepts the best," he added with relish.

"Yeah, only the best," Kagome agreed half-heartedly, shooting him a sidelong glance.

"I hope to see a lot of you there, Kagome," Hojo continued solemnly. "I've liked you for four years now. It's just that fate never seemed to agree very well with the two of us." She felt a pang of guilt as he, she supposed, was referring to her countless excuses and "sicknesses." Good thing he never seemed to suspect...

The rest of the car ride was uneventful, with a lot of painful small talk about the weather and the classes they were taking at the U. Kagome shifted restlessly in her nicely warmed seat as the excruciating forty-five minutes wore on; it appeared that Hojo was not only painfully agreeable, but rather boring as well.

She almost felt relieved when he the car finally pulled to a halt in front of the ramshackle house that she shared with her mom, grandpa, and brother. Almost relieved meaning that she suspected that something worse was coming up next. And, not surprisingly...

"Well, it was a great night, Kagome," Hojo started nervously, his eyes locked upon hers nervously. "I hope we'll do this again sometime, and - and -" Suddenly he just decided to give up all pretense and dove for her, wrapping his arms tightly around her and kissing her lips firmly.

Kagome reluctantly responded, tilting her head and slowly massaging his shoulders as well as the kiss deepened, his tongue slowly working its way further into her mouth and causing her heart to almost fall down into her digestive tract. He was good - a surprisingly good kisser, although she couldn't quite be a good judge, as this was her first one herself. She almost desperately pulled him closer, closing her eyes and allowing her to dream about far, far away places. That she was in a grassy meadow near a well instead. That her kisser was a tall, lithe boy with silver hair and strange doggy ea-

She quickly pulled away from Hojo, staring at him confusedly, regretting that last thought. _No, _she could NOT do this, she couldn't live in the past, she couldn't blame herself about circumstances that she had been unable to control... She pulled him against her again, allowing him to kiss her again...and again...and again...

Suddenly she pulled away again, unable to bear it any longer. She stared miserably at Hojo for a moment; he stared back at her with a confused look on his handsome features. "Kagome? What's wro-"

"This is wrong! This is just WRONG!" she burst out plaintively, tears started to run down her made-up face. "I don't know why, I just can't do this!"

"Kagome, what are you saying? I thought you had fun with me tonight!"

"Hojo," she started miserably, taking in the hurt look on his face, "It's not your fault, don't go blaming yourself for this. It's my problem...it's not you. Remember that." Patting him forlornly on the shoulder, she then proceeded to exit the car, sobbing uncontrollably as she ran towards the house.

She stared out her bedroom window as she watched him slowly drive off, feeling thoroughly miserable to the bone. His date with her had triggered old memories---memories that she rather would have forgotten.

Kagome tossed and turned restlessly in bed, not quite awake yet not quite asleep. She was still in that hazy netherworld, where dreams were reality and where reality was also dreamt. And reality was definitely being dreamt that night... She drove her tear-stained face into the pillow, quietly grinding her teeth as she relived it, relived what had happened back when she was fifteen...

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The bush she was hiding in was prickly and uncomfortable, but she paid it no mind, straining to see what was going on by the small waterfall. She shifted her balance down to her knees as she crouched down, her eyes almost rolling out in shock as she witnessed the scene going on nearby. It had been something she had feared almost the entire time that they had journeyed together...

Their bodies were intertwined sensuously together, already kissing and touching each other intimately. They seemed to weave a single dance as the waterfall tinkled in time to their rhythm. Inuyasha and Kikyo...the tragic pair that had pursued each other for so long, were together again at last.

Kagome, as much as she wanted to run away immediately, could not take her eyes off them. Inuyasha had such a peaceful look on his normally fierce features, his long silver hair cascaded down his shoulders and mingled with the priestess's well-kept locks as he roughly nibbled on her delicate ear. Kikyo lightly massaged his back, leaning onto his lap as a knowing smile crept onto her feminine features. Kagome's heart sank as she realized that this was the happiest she had ever seen Inuyasha in the whole time she had known him; the look of pure bliss on his face was enough to prove that Kikyo, and not she, was going to be the one that would make him happy.

Kikyo pulled away from him briefly, tweaking his ears as she quietly murmured to him in her soft voice, "You missed me, didn't you?"

The reply was perhaps out of character for him, but decidedly his. "Of course I did, Kikyo. Every day, every second---you were always right there within my mind." His scarred hand disentangled itself from hers as it slowly reached up to smooth her ebony tendrils.

Kagome's heart plunged as Kikyo reached for the tie of his outer robe. " As you were in mine..."

The whisper was soft upon Inuyasha's swollen lips. "Kikyo...it's all over now. You're mine now---forever. And I will protect you from harm always..." And that was when he began to push her downwards---

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Finding that she could stand this no longer, Kagome let out an anguished wail that surprised even her, tears suddenly flooding down her face. Her heart totally shattered into pieces, she turned tail and ran, not caring if they had seen her or not. She ran for the well, not bothering to look behind her. Inuyasha wasn't going to follow her anyway, she was nothing to him but a shard detector, a worthless liability who had lived out her usefulness. She was absolutely nothing to him, and never had been...

Miroku was sitting tranquilly against the well, probably thinking up some half-cocked scheme to get Sango to have his child. This, however, was all lost on Kagome as she without a second thought climbed up to the lip of the well, ripping the Shikon Jewel necklace from her neck and tossing it to him, sobbing, " Here, take the stupid thing! I - I can't help you anymore! Use Kikyo to find the shards---I'm sure you'll like her a lot better anyway!"

Miroku appeared to be dumbfounded. "Kagome, what on earth are you-"

"Goodbye, Miroku!" were her last words before she hopped into the well, crossing her arms over her chest in anticipation of the long descent back into the present.

Kagome's eyes snapped open, her heart pounding wildly and beads of sweat beginning to form on her smooth forehead. It had felt real - so real - as if she had relived it yet again. She often dreamed it these days, down to every last vivid detail...about the passionate way his lips had met hers, about the look of contentment on Inuyasha's face, happiness that only Kikyo, and not her, could bring him.

A large truck passed through the street nearby, shocking her eyes as they quickly adjusted to the sudden light. Kagome blinked, putting her hand over her chest and trying to calm down. "Come on, it was only a dream," she muttered to herself, trying to take deep breaths. "Well, technically it was real, but it didn't just HAPPEN..." She trailed off, shaking her head. She had not just been there, she was in twenty-first century Tokyo, lying in her big pink fluffy bed...The well was still sealed; Inuyasha and the others were unable to cross over into her time just as she was unable to cross into theirs without the Jewel. Even people of the cloth, such as Miroku and Kaede, were most likely unable to break her grandfather's wards; she had placed them everywhere thinkable around the well. Perhaps Kikyo herself might have been able to go through, but as Kikyo was the one who had caused her to depart in the first place, the thought of her wanting to cross over was laughable.

Kagome settled back down into her pillow, turning over on her side to stare at the bright green display on her alarm clock. 3:21 a.m... _(Geez...he IS on my mind all the time, whether it's morning, noon, or night. I wish I could move on...I wish I could forget him. I wish I could forget it all. Then I could be a normal, happy, eighteen-year old girl who only has to worry about boyfriends and college entrance exams...)_

She gave one final sigh as she closed her eyes and began the long road towards slumber. _(Inuyasha...what have you DONE to me?!)_

Author's Note: So...what did you think? I hope that the plot doesn't look too cookie-cutter so far. I'm open to any suggestions that you might have.

Next chapter: Kagome swore that never again would she go down the well...so what is she doing back in Feudal Japan? And what's this about Sango...she's now rather domestic? What has happened to the wild demonslayer since Kagome left?!

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	2. Arrival

Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned Inuyasha, I would have killed off Kikyo permanently, made Inuyasha stop his long denial streak, and had him and Kagome married by the 100th episode. Hasn't happened yet, has it?

Thank you to all of you who reviewed! However, before I go on with the chapter I should really clear something up, before people start to think this is an Inuyasha/Kikyo (which is isn't, I loathe Kikyo as much as the next person). Kagome's flashback in Chapter 1 really DID happen, but as you will notice later, there is something fishy about the whole thing; in fact, it's a major part of the plot.

"Come ON, Kagome!" Eri was demanding rather passionately, stamping her foot on the linoleum floor. "Give us all the juicy details already!"

"Yeah, didja kiss him?" Yuka added keenly, bringing her head about an inch away from Kagome's.

"Ohhhhhh, I bet he's a GREAT kisser!" Ayumi squealed, almost spilling her latte from sheer excitement.

Kagome rolled her eyes and racked her brain for a decent excuse. She had absolutely been dreading this all morning---her three friends, inevitably, had forced her here to this corner coffee shop in order to hear the scoop on her date with Hojo. And she had no idea what to tell them---she had a feeling that they wouldn't be too happy if she explained to them what had _really _transpired...

"C'mon, Kagome! Tell us!"

"Did he drive the Toyota?! Did he hold your hand?!"

Ayumi, who happened to be the most astute of the three, narrowed her eyes as she stared across the table at her friend. "Kagome?" she proffered tersely, noting the miserable look on her face. "...You _blew _it, didn't you?"

Kagome could only nod despondently.

"KAGOME!!"

"But whyyyyyyyyyyy?!"

"Shame on you!"

"But why, Kagome?!" Ayumi asked her concernedly. "Hojo's the absolute perfect guy---he's hot, he's smart, and he's gentle. WHY didn't you just give him a chance?!"

Kagome shook her head. "I - I just don't know," she replied meekly, tears starting to well up in her eyes, unable to look any of them in the eye. "We - we just didn't click, I guess." That part, at least, had been true. Honestly, if he had just said _one _more word about that stupid Latin class he was planning on taking-

"You hurt his feelings, didn't you, Kagome?" Eri asked her, grabbing her hand. "What did you do?"

Kagome wiped her eyes with a napkin. "We -well- we stared kissing, and I - I just - just pushed him away."

"But WHY?!"

"I don't _know!_" Kagome wailed. "I just don't KNOW!" Although she knew damn well why..

"Kagome?" Ayumi suddenly asked, straightening up and giving her a rather piercing stare.

"What?" She looked up at her friend with her already reddening eyes.

"There - there's someone else, isn't there?"

Kagome's heart almost did a backflip. "No! _No! _Of course not! There isn't anyone else! There _isn't_! Really!"

She could have sworn she saw Ayumi's eyes narrow in skepticism. "Well, if you say so..."

It had been hours since the disastrous episode at the cafe, but still the words rang within Kagome's mind. "_There's someone else...there's someone else..." _Those words nagged constantly at her, penetrating the most inner recesses of her brain and not allowing her to think of anything else. Ayumi's guess had indeed been shrewd. Uncomfortably shrewd.

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"There's someone else...there's someone else..." Yes, there WAS someone else, but not in the way one might expect. The "someone else" in question did not love her in return, nor ever had. Yet that someone still had ripped away a good section of her heart...

She listlessly kicked a pebble as she walked around in the yard; she was quite reluctant to go inside the house, near the prying eyes of her mother, who could read her mood like a book. And besides, that would get Grandpa all riled up; whenever she looked peaked he had a rather bad habit of getting out his so-called herbal remedies and practically poisoning her.

Her eyes slowly fell upon the small shed that held the well that had so often transported her to Inuyasha's time period. Although the mere sight of the well sometimes made her boil with anger or (on bad days) made her burst into tears, the shed had plenty of seclusion and she would not be disturbed while she sat to sort things out. And the sun out here was getting uncomfortably warm...

She stepped into the musty shrine, her feet stirring up clouds of dust as she walked. It was quiet inside; the normal dull roar of traffic and the sounds of the birds calling nearby were totally lost to her ears. It was still and peaceful inside, but uncomfortably so...

Sighing, she climbed down the rickety ladder leading down to where the well stood and sat down on its lip, dangling her legs into the air. Finally, time to think about everything with a clear mind...

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(God, I can't believe I DID that last night. What did Hojo ever do to deserve that from me?! It's not HIS fault that Inuyasha betrayed me like that!)

She ground her teeth, her feet scuffling at the dust on the tiled floor. _(Inuyasha...Inuyasha...INUYASHA!! All of it goes back to that two-faced pile of dung! He leads my life and thinks nothing of it...not to mention there's the minor thing of him HAVING LIVED FIVE HUNDRED YEARS IN THE PAST!! )_

(I bet he's having fun with Kikyo right about now...probably are married and have about ten thousand furry-eared little kids by now. That youkai bastard...)

Her fist pounded against the stone lip of the well, raising a small cloud of dust. _(Damn him anyway! I HATE him!! I really do! And I know EXACTLY what I'm gonna do first thing tomorrow...I'm gonna call up Hojo, apologize to him, and then we'll go on a huge date where I'll-)_

However, she never did get to think what she would be doing on her date with Hojo, because that was when a massive, grimy, clawed hand decided to grab her from inside the well. Kagome screamed shrilly as it attempted to pull her in; her arms desperately scraped the mortared brick on top as her leg was yanked further and further within. The thing below her snarled and only gripped more tightly; she shuddered as she glimpsed a horned forehead and two merciless, ice-blue eyes burning within the darkness. She had to get away...she _had _to fight it!

Her right hand barely brushed the edge of the well now; she knew that she could not hold on much longer. Panic suddenly washing over her like the tide, she somehow managed to kick her attacker, somehow bashing it square in the eyes and forcing it to let go and fall further down. Desperately she managed to grip the well's edge more tightly, climbing like a mountain goat up to the top, her breath inhaling and exhaling raggedly as she forced herself over and back onto concrete ground again.

She sprinted towards the door and turned back around to see what was going on, her breath now coming in short bursts, thanking the fates that she had managed to get away. But before she could speculate what was going on or even cry for help...

The monster hurdled out of the well and landed with a thud onto the floor, its eyes glinting in a predatory manner and drool foaming disgustingly out of its mouth. Kagome shrieked again as it shuffled closer and closer to where she stood, her feet seemingly glued to the ground. She could see it quite openly now...The slimy blue scales...the bulky, thrashing tail...the gigantic, muscled arms...this thing was without a doubt a textbook demon, much like the ones that she had seen Inuyasha battle. But Inuyasha (the youkai bastard) wasn't here...and even had she had her fletch of arrows she wouldn't have stood a chance...

The thing drew closer, forcing her back against the wall. She gulped as she could almost taste death, feel its hot, revolting breath against her body...But just as the thing was about to grab her...

For the rest of her days Kagome was never able to quite explain what happened next. She supposed it was her innate powers as a priestess protecting her in a time of peril, but at the time nothing surprised her more than the pure jet of holy light that erupted out of her hand, forcing the demon back and allowing her to run to the opposite side of the room, and away from danger.

The thing was roaring pitifully now; Kagome's holy blast had badly damaged the area around its heart. However, it apparently hadn't been enough to kill, as after a moment it began to once again shuffle towards her, its claws out and greenish teeth bared menacingly. Kagome whimpered as she once again cowered against the lip of the well, as it got closer and closer. It appeared that this was it, her luck would most likely be unable to hold out any longer. She closed her eyes, awaiting the last painful blow, her life flashing past her like sands in an hourglass. Her first bike, primary school with Ayumi, Miss Centipede falling to the ground with a thud, a young monk sucking demons in through a hole in his hand, a certain striking half-demon with doggy ears-

It was then that she realized that her life had been flashing by for an awful long time now, that surely the monster would have struck her down by now...She timidly opened one eye, letting out a squeal of shock when she realized that the thud she heard had been real. There lay the demon, about two feet in front of her, lying facedown on the ground, a pool of dark blood thickening around it. The wounds that she had inflicted upon it must have been fatal after all...

She almost gasped when she noticed that something lay sparkling on the very tip of its horn, which protruded out within arm's length of her. Something unpleasantly familiar...but something that definitely explained her predicament. That "something" was a shard of the Shikkon Jewel.

Her hand quivering uncontrollably, she reluctantly reached out for it, somehow managing to pry it out from a cavity in the demon's horn. She turned it over and over in her hand...it was definitely from the Shikkon Jewel all right; there was no mistaking that frosty, lifeless gleam, or that dark aura she always momentarily felt before she purified it...How the coincidence of the monster getting a shard AND finding the well was AND getting past the wards was beyond her, but it had nevertheless, and it gave her an unpleasant feeling. Like that someone had SENT that thing to cross over dimensions to kill her...

It was at this instant that, again, something happened to Kagome that she was never able to cipher for the rest of her days. Perhaps she was just a little unsteady because of her near-death experience...or maybe it was because she had little or no wiggle room, as she was squatting on the edge of the well. Nevertheless, she never knew how she lost her balance and toppled into it, but that was exactly what she did. And it just so happened that she clutched the Shikkon Jewel as she fell. Maybe it was just an act of coincidence...or perhaps not. Sometimes fate has a way of stepping in when one needs a little push...

"Kagome!"

"Unnghhhh..."

"Kagome, please wake up!"

"Mmmmmm..." It was so dark, so pleasant, here, wherever she was...She never wanted to leave this place, ever...

"Kagome!" Someone was slapping her face with a wet cloth, her vaguely familiar voice sounding strained and desperate. "Kagome, can you hear me?!"

"Uhhhhh..." Kagome's eyes fluttered open; she felt confused and disoriented. And her head was pounding like the devil, and come to think of it, so was her ankle... Above her an overhanging lantern, swaying gently, focused in and out of view. Just where _was _she?!

The vague shape of a woman suddenly floated into view, rudely blocking the lantern light. "Kagome! Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed, kneeling down and clasping her hand. "I thought that you might - you might -" It was then with a start that Kagome realized that she recognized the apprehensive face in front of her---the long black hair, the chocolate brown eyes, the long, thin nose that turned up slightly...It was Sango, her friend...formerly one of her companions in the quest to find the Shikkon Jewel. Sango, whom she'd never thought she'd see again, she thought with a small pang of guilt...

"I thought I would have to fetch Kaede for a moment there!" she was exclaiming, flashing her a rare smile and getting up to her feet. "And when someone needs Kaede it's generally not good news..." She trailed off, her smile replaced with a more solemn expression.

"Sango...where AM I?!" Kagome asked, lifting her head with an effort. "The last I knew, I was falling down the well..."

"Well, that's exactly where I found you," she replied softly, grabbing a kettle and putting it on the fire. "It was lucky I happened to be passing by...you were at the bottom, out cold. You must have been surprised by the fall..."

"I sure was," Kagome said, sitting up in bed, taking advantage of the momentary lull in their conversation to look at her environs. She seemed to be lying on a simple mattress with a few coverlets, customary for beds in the Feudal Era, in a small, cheery kitchen with a remarkably great amount of amenities. A great amount for Feudal Japan, anyway...most of the people in Kaede's village were lucky if they had a mud hut to live in. This place, however, seemed to be a house; a small one, but a house with at least a few rooms nonetheless.

She watched mutely as her friend tended to the fire; Kagome couldn't quite explain it, but the look of her seemed to have changed quite a bit over the three years. Perhaps it was because she looked more feminine, for one thing; the simple cotton shift that she had always worn was now replaced with a beautifully embroidered kimono made of what looked like silk. And there was also the way she wore her hair; she usually wore it down past her shoulders, but it was now swept into a twist, held together with an ornate seashell barrette that looked very old. Or maybe it was just because she had matured overall; she was actually only a year older than Kagome...

"Kaede's village, you said?" Kagome questioned after a moment. "Does that mean we're still near the well?"

Sango turned to stare at her thoughtfully. "We live right near the well, actually," she explained. "You can almost see it from the clearing." She paused for a moment, suddenly showing a shadow of anger. "But you're not going anywhere, Kagome!" she remonstrated, glaring at her. "Not until we catch up with everything, and not in your condition, at any rate!"

Kagome, who in all honesty had not even _thought _about leaving, could only nod meekly. Sango's temper was _not _to be reckoned with, if her usual reaction to Miroku's constant peeping and grabbing was any indication, But that wasn't exactly her primary worry at the moment...what on earth had Sango meant by "we?"

"Here." Sango, having bent down to the makeshift bed, was shoving a small cup of freshly-brewed tea into her hands. "This should get you to feeling better." She paused as Kagome lifted her head to take a sip. "What happened to you, anyway? You look like you were in quite a battle. There's blood on your clothes, and-"

Her question, however, was rudely interrupted when suddenly a pitter-patter of little feet and the cries of "Mama!" were to be heard. Kagome almost jumped out of her skin when from out of a doorway ahead ran a little girl with plaited black hair and a cute round face. "Mama!" she continued to exclaim, running up to Sango and staring at Kagome almost fearfully, clinging to her skirt. "Who's THAT?!"

"That's just a friend of mine, Kyoko," Sango replied soothingly, hoisting the little girl up into her arms. "Kyoko, this is Kagome," she remembered to add, gesturing to the bed-ridden girl. "And Kagome, meet my daughter, Kyoko." This she said rather proudly...

Kagome was practically speechless. Sango, having children?! This was akin to seeing Inuyasha in a dress...odd, weird, and overall hard to imagine. What _other _surprises were going to jump out at her now that she had returned?! She peered at the child curiously...she DID look a lot like Sango, but also like someone else...someone who she couldn't quite put her finger on...The eyes were strangely familiar, for starters...

"I'm sorry, she's a little shy," Sango was saying apologetically, putting her down and allowing her to scamper out of the room. "She's not used to strangers."

Kagome stared at the door, feeling utterly intrigued. "So who's the Daddy?" she asked Sango rather wickedly, an evil smirk spreading across her face, causing Sango to flush girlishly.

"Why don't you guess?" she giggled in an un-Sangolike way.

Kagome had to think for a minute. "Um...well...is it a guy from this village?" was what she managed to come up with first, feeling chagrined when Sango shook her head devilishly.

"No!"

"Uhhhh...a guy from the village next to this one?" was what she guessed next, feeling uncreative.

"Heavens, no!" she giggled, flushing even more. "They're all bald!" She paused for a moment, trying to come up with a decent clue. "Kagome, you KNOW this man!" she finally exclaimed. "It's the most obvious thing in the world!"

Kagome was stumped. "Eeergh...Sesshomaru?" she spat out, her lack of inspiration really starting to annoy her.

Sango rolled her eyes. _"No!"_

Kagome decided that since Sango was unwilling to tell her without a fight, she was going to with insanely stupid combinations. "Oh, _I know! _Jaken!"

"Is that even possible, Kagome?"

"Or maybe Naraku kidnapped you-"

"Eeeeeeeuuuuwwww! NO!"

"Well, then...what about the Thunder Brothers?"

"Who are THEY?!"

"Oh, I know! _I've got it! I've got it! Shippo!"_

"Kagome...that - that's - disgusting!"

"Well, just tell me already, then!"

"All right, all right! It's-"

"Sango-chan! Where are you?" The cheerful voice suddenly cut through her reply, making Kagome grit her teeth in frustration. _Damn _whoever had decided to intrude - but, come to think of it, that whoever sounded awfully familiar---

"Oh, there you are, Sango-chan! I thought you were-" Kagome almost wet her pants in shock when Miroku suddenly walked through the doorway, looking much the same as he ever had, with his dark blue monk's robe and matching gold staff. Although he too had matured... And he also had this weird new spring in his step, almost like he had had a lot of-

She had to stick her fist into her mouth to keep herself from screaming in horror.

Meanwhile, Sango had walked over to him, scolding him angrily, "Will you _stop _calling me that?!" She shook her head in exasperation. "You and your stupid pet-names..."

He grinned sheepishly. "I apologize if I've offended...Sango-chan."

"GRRRRRRRRRR!!!"

Kagome could stand it no longer. "Oh my GOD!!" she burst out, feeling faintly nauseated. "Sango, you were actually insane enough to have children with HIM?!"

Author's Note: Phew, I hope that wasn't too much information in one chapter. At any rate, if any of you are wondering where Inuyasha and Shippo are right now, well...they're coming! You'll have to wait a bit longer for Inuyasha, but when he shows up, trust me, he will do so with a bang!

Please review... I would like to know that you exist! :)

And, of course, a sneak peek of chapter three:

"That was no coincidence," he said simply as soon as she paused, out of breath. "I'm sure of it. I know all about those wards you put up, for one thing; we tried to break them ourselves not long after you left."

"So you DID try to come after me?"

"We tried, but they were too powerful. At any rate..." He paused to think for a moment. "It is very likely that Naraku sent that demon to retrieve you. He has been quiet for some time, and-"

Kagome's widened in shock. "What, Naraku's still ALIVE?!" she gasped, staring at Miroku incredulously.


	3. Tenderness

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Inuyasha.

Miroku almost did a double take at the sight of Kagome lying in a bed in the middle of his kitchen floor, but managed to compose himself speedily. "Insane?!" he countered in amusement, pretending to look wounded. "I thought she made a rather intelligent choice!"

Kagome shook her head, unsure of whether she was going to barf, cry, or perhaps do both. "Sango, are you SURE you were in your right mind when you did this?!" she asked, still staring in disbelief. "You just didn't wake up one morning with a bottle of sake in your hand and his arms around you or something?!"

Miroku shrugged. "Well, I _tried _that once, but it didn't seem to work..."

"Kagome, I was _not _drunk," Sango clarified, a smile playing on her face while still managing to glare at her husband. "Once he figured out that he should _ask _me instead of trying to grab my-" Suddenly she wheeled around to face him, looking very livid. "Will - YOU - GET - AWAY -" she choked out, slapping his hand away from her posterior. "Not when there's guests in the house!"

"Guess he hasn't changed much," Kagome muttered in exasperation as she watched Sango glare daggers at him while he rubbed his many-ringed hand, trying his best to look innocent. "Hey, how old _is _Kyoko, anyway?" she asked them curiously, causing them both (luckily for Miroku) to turn their attention back to her.

"She has just turned two," Miroku stated proudly.

"Wow, you DID get busy after I left, didn't you?!" Kagome exclaimed incredulously.

"Of course!" he responded, his lecherous grin growing exponentially.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Sorry about him. He's still as strange as ever." She paused thoughtfully. "But you get used to it after awhile. After three years of him I swear that sometimes he almost seems norm-"

Miroku coughed loudly. "_Honestly, _Sango!" he cut in, the corners of his mouth twitching. His humorous expression, however, then quickly faded into his usual austere one. "So how did _you_ manage to come about, Kagome?" he asked her steadily. "After what happened almost four years ago we thought we'd never see y-"

"DADDY!" A happy squeal could be heard nearby as a little orange and black streak cannon-balled towards Miroku, grabbing his robes and causing him to grin happily again.

"Well, well, if it isn't Kyoko," he put forth, hoisting her up into his arms. "Have you been a good girl today?" He slowly shifted her weight to his left arm. "No, no---don't touch Daddy's beads-" Kagome had seen the shudder he had tried to suppress as she attempted to play with the beads keeping his wind tunnel covered...

"Well, anyway," Sango cut in in a businesslike voice, trying to pretend she hadn't seen that last exchange. "What were you going to say?" Although she looked as tough as ever, Kagome could have sworn she saw tears glistening in her eyes...

Miroku had noticed it as well. "Why don't I take Kagome outside and explain everything?" he said smoothly, although giving his wife a sidelong glance out of the corner of his eye. "I won't deny that there's a lot that's happened..."

"I think that's a good idea," Sango replied quietly, reaching out for Kyoko. "C'mon, Kyoko, come help Mama make dinner..." Miroku silently nodded to Kagome, gesturing towards the door.

It took Kagome a moment to manage to get out of bed, as the bump on her head still caused her to feel a little disoriented, but she eventually managed to follow him outside into the shady yard. The two sat under a large tree near the house. Kagome then explained her story to Miroku, about the monster and the shard and the well, Miroku looking more and more grave with each word she said.

"That was no coincidence," he said simply as soon as she paused, out of breath. "I'm sure of it. I know all about those wards you put up, for one thing; we tried to break them ourselves not long after you left."

"So you DID try to come after me?"

"We tried, but they were too powerful. At any rate..." He paused to think for a moment. "It is very likely that Naraku sent that demon to retrieve you. He has been quiet for some time, and-"

Kagome's widened in shock. "What, Naraku's still ALIVE?!" she gasped, staring at Miroku incredulously. Damn, she had never really thought about it, had she? That while she was safe but unhappy in modern-day Tokyo that Naraku still might be running around here somewhere...It wasn't a thing to be proud of, abandoning her friends like that, come to think of it...

Miroku merely raised his eyebrows. "Of course. Without you to find more jewel shards, our search became hopeless rather quickly. And then Naraku eventually confronted us and stole what few shards we had collected after Kikyo took the _first_ necklace..." Kagome could have sworn she saw his eyes flicker towards her momentarily when he mentioned the dreaded name...

He cleared his throat, continuing on, "We all dispersed after that last battle. Naraku now has almost all the shards and lives in a walled fortress on the opposite coast. He frequently sends bands of demons out to terrorize villages and is trying to build up an army, but can't do much else, as he does not have every shard of the Sacred Jewel. However, if he ever DOES get all of the Shards..." He gave off an involuntary shudder that had absolutely nothing to do with the coolness of the day.

Kagome gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes. HOW could she have been so selfish like that?! HOW?! Leaving everyone defenseless like that, giving the rest not even a fighting chance against Naraku---it was at that moment that she finally realized the consequences of her actions.

"And so that's why I believe that it was Naraku that tried to abduct you," Miroku was going on calmly, playing at the grass with his staff. "He can't see the few remaining Jewel Shards. He does not have the Sight like you, Kagome. He needs you to find the last ones for him...and so equipped a demon with a Jewel Shard so that it would be able to go through the well and carry you away."

"But HOW?! Kagome asked, still feeling stricken. "Can Naraku even DO something like that?!"

Miroku shook his head. "I have no idea...I really have no explanation for it, either. But it all seems to make sense. A normal demon would not have had the luck to have removed the wards, go down the well, AND happen to have a jewel shard."

"Probably..." An embarrassed silence followed, in which Kagome had nothing to say. Were Miroku and Sango angry with her? Did they believe that she had cruelly abandoned them? "Miroku?" she asked him quietly, turning to look at him. "Did you feel like I betrayed you and the quest when I left?"

He stared at her surprised for a moment. "No..." he replied slowly. "No, I don't believe so...It never occurred to me to become angry, Kagome. After all, I DO know what happened..."

Kagome jumped in her place. "What?!"

He nodded. "Well, with you running away crying like that and then Inuyasha running after you shirtless about five minutes later, I HAD to put two and two together, didn't I?"

Kagome's jaw was scraping the floor by this time.

Miroku nodded again. "He wasn't too happy when he found out that you left, but he never _did _say much about the whole episode. I must say, he really got it from Sango, though; she was furious." He laughed quietly.

"Well, what does he care?" Kagome spat bitterly, looking away. "He shouldn't have been so upset; I'm just, after all, a jewel detector!"

She felt Miroku's hand touch her shoulder (thankfully). "It's not your fault, Kagome. Think about it; things such as these happen for a reason. Perhaps your relationship in the end would have done more harm than good to you both."

She nodded silently as she heard Sango call them for supper. She sighed as she slowly tramped back into the cheery little house---Miroku's point had been subtle, but it had definitely been there. Would she have tried? Would she have tried to be the Kikyo he wanted or would she have stayed Kagome Hirugashi? Perhaps she, in the end, would have just preferred to live a lie...

Miroku gave off a sigh of satisfaction as he pushed his plate away from him. "Ahhhhhh...good as always, Sango-chan," he said lightly, getting back onto his feet and grabbing his staff (no, not what YOU'RE thinking). "I suppose I'll be off now; there's another exorcism I have to perform yet tonight." Kagome was practically forced to roll her eyes as his hand caressed Sango's cheek in what he probably thought was a debonair manner. "You _will _stay up and wait for me tonight, won't you, Sango-chan?" he whispered seductively into her ear.

He was rewarded with a slap on the wrist.

Miroku looked angst-ridden. "Oh, why won't you just be an obedient little wife, Sango-chan?" he lamented, rubbing his wrist.

"You knew what you were getting into when you married me!" was the angry reply. "With the fact that we've got Kagome sleeping in our kitchen, not to mention me having _waited _for you at least four times already this week, I think you can keep your snake in its cage for tonight!"

"Aw, _Sango-chan!" _was the last anguished wail that Kagome heard out of him before he left the house.

Sango got up and began to scrub the pot she had had the soup in quite furiously. "Well...once a pervert always a pervert, right, Sango?" Kagome commented sagely, feeling amused that _something _at least hadn't changed during her absence.

"Well, THAT part doesn't bother me at all, if you catch my drift, Kagome." Sango gave off a rather uncharacteristic smirk, watching as Kagome looked ready to gag where she sat.

Kagome shook her head. "You really...love him...don't you?"

Sango smiled as she turned back towards the table. "Yes, I do."

"I don't know - I just never really thought that you two would actually-" Kagome stuttered as the other woman urged Kyoko to eat the last of her rice. "I always thought that Miroku really didn't stand a chance, really...That he'd-" -here she made some rather creative gestures- "-you know, with - with tree stumps or with himself or something..."

Sango raised her eyebrows. "Even now, I probably wouldn't be surprised."

"That honestly...scares me," Kagome replied, secretly even more scared that Sango was nonplussed. "To tell you the truth though, Sango, I honestly had no idea that you loved him back. I could tell that Miroku was smitten, but _you_ never left any clues..."

"I didn't have any idea myself at first either," Sango admitted, grabbing the plates and throwing them into the washing tub. "I was just confused, I suppose...I had enough going on in my head the way it was with my family just dead, with my village completely destroyed..." Here her voice cracked just slightly. "And I didn't believe he meant it, that he did it to every girl so that did not make me any more special...I figured he wouldn't be able to handle my past, be repulsed by my scarred body..." She trailed off.

Kagome shook her head resolutely. "He was different when he was with you." She stood up to help Sango with the dishwashing. "He groped you a _lot _more than everyone else combined, for one thing," she added on an afterthought.

Sango sighed as she plunged her hands into the soapy water. "THAT, unfortunately, hasn't changed." She shook her head in disapproval of Miroku's ever-wandering hands. "Every other woman on the planet may be safe now, but not me. Our being married means that he just concentrates on me now," She looked at Kagome with raised eyebrows. "Do you _know _what it's like to be groped every living, breathing minute, Kagome?"

"Fortunately, no," Kagome replied steadily as she stared at Kyoko, who was just outside chasing what looked like butterflies. "...You know, Sango, the two of you have _such _a cute little girl. She looks a lot like you, but she has Miroku's eyes..."

Sango gritted her teeth. "Oh yes, I remember when she was born just like yesterday...That day was the longest twenty-four hours of my life. And when things started to get intense Miroku tried to bless the house and the child and split until it was over, but-" Here she gave off a look of grim satisfaction. "...But I was crushing his hand to powder."

Kagome laughed at her story as the two exited the house and out into the warm evening sunlight, leisurely going towards the tree in the yard where she and Miroku had discussed Naraku's goings-on not long before. "I'm surprised you two don't have a hundred thousand kids right now, actually!" Come to think of it, that WAS a little weird, knowing Miroku's insanely high testosterone level...

"Believe me, if there's a way around that, Miroku knows it." Sango rolled her eyes as she seated herself under the tree's shade. "Sometimes I wonder if those are the ONLY charms he learned from his studies."

Kagome sat and stared as Kirala, who had hitherto had lain curled up near the front door, jumped up and joined Kyoko in her pursuit of the butterflies. They circled around in unpredictable patterns, the little girl laughing as she suddenly began chasing the demon's puffy tail.

"So..." Sango began, suddenly sounding uncomfortable. "What about you? Have you - have you gotten over -"

Kagome knew exactly what she was talking about. "I don't know," she sighed. "In hindsight I guess I should have expected it sooner or later, but I - but I-" She swallowed hard as she tried with all her might not to let forth any tears. "It just wasn't fair!'

Sango looked alarmed. "Kagome," she began hesitantly, "honestly, if you don't wish to talk about this, then I'll be more than happy to drop the whole-"

"No!" Kagome was crying openly by this time. "No, I WANT to talk about it! D'you realize how it's been for me, Sango?! I went back...ALONE...I couldn't share it with anyone, not anybody! I had to keep it inside me for three years..."

She felt Sango's delicate hand touch her shoulder. "Kagome, you KNOW it wasn't your fault...men can be tactless most of the time, with a lot of them ALL of the time, in fact." She glowered.

"But was it me? Was it something that I did?!" She snuffled pathetically. "Or maybe it's just because I'm just Kagome...and being Kagome isn't good enough for him...and I'm not a beautiful, kind priestess who everyone wants!"

"_Stop _this, Kagome!" Sango grabbed her friend's shoulder almost desperately. "_It wasn't you! You didn't do it! _He's the one who went off with Kikyo, HE'S the one who wronged, and it's his loss and your gain, I say!"

"But - but-"

"But _nothing!" _Sango interjected, her face looking grimmer by the minute. "Kagome, be glad that you saw him for what he was when you did! Otherwise...otherwise..." She trailed off frustratedly. "Listen, be glad that it happened. Because then - because then -" She swallowed hard. "-Then you don't have the - the - the constant worry..." Kagome stared open-mouthed as she suddenly burst into tears herself.

"Sango?" Kagome choked. "Wha - what's _wrong_?!" She wouldn't answer; she only just sobbed harder and buried her face into Kagome's gray sweater. "Sango...please," Kagome said softly, "What's happened to you?..."

"N-nothing yet!" she wailed. "Absolutely nothing, Kagome! And that's the problem! He's a wonderful provider, a gentle lover, a _perfect _father to Kyoko...why can't it stay like this forever?!"

A bright light suddenly shined within Kagome's brain. "Sango?!" she gasped, feeling alarmed. "It's - it's Miroku's wind tunnel, isn't it?"

"Y-yes, It's - it's Miroku," she sobbed, her tears leaking without direction onto Kagome's sweater. "H-his wind tunnel...It's getting bigger. It won't stop- it'll _never _stop!" Kagome hugged her tightly as she continued on with some effort, "H-he says he doesn't have long, a c-couple years at most. And- and that he'll have to-" -At this she let out another sob- "-he'll have to l-leave us when the time comes." She grabbed Kagome's shoulders more tightly. "Don't you see, Kagome? I want to be there for him - I at least want to be there when he finally goes! And - and I'm even denied that!" At this point she couldn't even compose herself; she began to cry so hysterically that even Kyoko started to stare open-mouthed at the scene.

__

(I 've cried this hard,) Kagome thought bleakly. _(I cried like this when I realized that I'd never be with Inuyasha. That my dreams were hopeless...)_

Sango looked miserably up at her, wiping her eyes with her delicate hands. "Don't you see, Kagome? That's why he works so hard as Kaede's assistant---why Kyoko and I barely see him. He wants me to be well off, not to be a poor widow. But then we never get to spend time with him..." Kagome stared at the well-kept little house nearby, realization suddenly dawning upon her. So THAT was why Sango had seemed so well off; Miroku was determined to at least leave her with something when the inevitable came and he died...

"And then there's Kyoko," Sango continued, her voice still wavering almost uncontrollably. "_I _want more children---I want t-to - I want to _remember _him, be reminded of him, b-but... He can't stand it, he says it would burden me further. And he's al-already so sad about Kyoko...I wish I c-could comfort him, but I c-can't. I have no comfort myself..." She let out a small whimper before bursting out into another torrent of fitful sobs.

A few tears still slipping down her face from before, Kagome continued to hold Sango tightly, feeling even more guilty about her absence than before, if at all possible. Yes, it WAS due to Naraku that Miroku would eventually die and that Sango would be grief-ridden thereafter, but she had gotten rid of their last chance, that last chance to be rid of Naraku once and for all. If _she _hadn't run off, if _she _had just looked past her own troubles and tried to overcome her overpowering hatred for Inuyasha earlier... If she had just done that then she wouldn't be witnessing this right now... Compared to this, her problem with Inuyasha was insignificant.

"Ladies?" a nearby voice inquired, making them both jump. They looked up to see a tall, middle-aged man on a large horse a few feet away.

Sango jumped up, still sniffling as she grabbed Kyoko by the hand and away from the dangerous hooves. "W-what is it?" she called up to him, keeping her head down so that he was unable to see her flushed, tear-stained face.

The man seemed to have noticed their tears, but he seemed to be otherwise preoccupied. "Listen, mistress," he went on urgently to Sango, but looking at them both piercingly, "Your husband sent me down here from the village to warn you. The village has been attacked---by a giant horde of demon monsters."

"WHAT?!' Sango shrieked, letting go of Kyoko and grabbing the man's sleeve.

He nodded grimly. "There's hundreds of 'em. If you want my opinion, I don't think we stand a chance against 'em. But we might as well have at it..." He wheeled the horse around to go back the way he came. "Oh, and your husband wanted me to tell you something else," he added on an afterthought. "He says that under _no _circumstances are you to come to help. He wants the three of you to get as far away as possible."

Sango glowered as the man slapped the horse's rear and went back towards the village at a gallop. "Oh, that fool!" she exclaimed though her tears, shaking her fist in its general direction. "How dare he...I can fight!"

Kagome shook her head. "But he's right," she told her quietly. "If there's that many demons, then no one stands a chance. It'd be suicide to go in there right now, Sango..."

"To hell with that!" she snapped, beckoning Kirala with a wave of her hand and running to grab her boomerang from the side of the house. "I can't allow this---he is NOT going down alone! He'll suck up the whole village with his Wind Tunnel and kill himself!" She climbed onto the feline demon's back. "Kagome, take Kyoko and go as far into the woods as you can," she ordered darkly. "Shippo lives there---he can help you if anyone can!"

But Kagome shook her head resolutely. "No, we're going with you!" she shouted, grabbing Kyoko and climbing onto Kirala herself. "Those demons can move almost instantly---they'll find us no matter where we run! No...I'm planning on being useful for once!"

Preview of Chapter IV:

"This is it," he said in a deadly calm voice when the house shook yet again and the wavering transparency shielding them all finally shattered. "Get behind me, everyone! Get behind me and there's a good chance that you won't be sucked in!" And with that he slowly began to unfurl the charm beads from around his cursed hand...


	4. Melee

Disclaimer: sarcastically How this canonical masterpiece somehow found itself onto a fanfiction site, I have no idea...

A/N: OK, guys, hang in there: this is the absolute LAST torturous chapter before we meet Inuyasha at last. If you read carefully through this chapter, you'll find many subtle hints about where the story is going and what the theme is.

Looking down from the unique vantage point of Kirala's back, the first thing that Kagome noticed about the village that night was the complete and utter disordered chaos that reigned there. Hordes of demons flew in every direction, cackling mercilessly, most of them diving down to attack the villagers, who were feebly trying to fend them off with rusty katanas and various farming implements. Women and children were running everywhere, screaming and crying hysterically as they were struck down one-by-one. Flames licked hungrily at the huts and houses, with some of them already to the point where they had collapsed into fiery piles of ash and wood.

Sango grunted as her boomerang sliced through a pair of snake youkai that had been terrorizing an old couple. "We've really got our work cut out for us, Kagome," she commented in a disgruntled manner as she caught her weapon. "Even the Tetsusaiga would have a time slicing through this lot!"

Kagome nodded silently as she instinctively covered Kyoko's eyes; she was already starting to cry from all of the confusion and noise. Even now, though, she felt as if she had taken a good hit to the stomach; even now, when she should be concentrating on _anything _but the Tetsusaiga and its wielder. Damn him, even after three years he still was able to take control of her mind effortlessly, to invade her entire brain and to allow the anger to boil up again... _(He ought to be here right now,) _she thought bitterly. _(HE should be helping us find Miroku! At least we'd have a CHANCE if he was here! No...but I'm sure he's having lots of fun right now. He's probably off in his huge white castle, singing love poems to Kikyo while surrounded by all fifteen of his doggy-eared little kids. ARGH!)_

They all shook slightly as Kirala landed on all fours with a loud _thump. _"Where d'you think we should look for him first?!" Kagome shouted to her friend loudly, staring wide-eyed at mass upon mass of vicious demons.

"Kaede's shrine," Sango answered promptly, grabbing Kyoko and thrusting her into Kagome's arms. "Or so I hope," Kagome thought she heard her add under her breath as she quickly ducked a stray arrow that had come from nowhere...

With an air of frenzied desperation they all ran towards the large shrine situated in the middle of the village, Kirala occasionally rising into the air to fight off a blood-hungry monster and Sango raising her boomerang to slice in half the odd demon floating in the air above them. Kagome, still holding Kyoko, tried to stay down and covered by the others at all times, seeing that she was weaponless for the time being anyway.

In that way they eventually made it there, everyone luckily somehow intact. Quietly they stepped inside, all of them feeling nervous as they acknowledged the deadly silence that reigned within. Their feet rang loudly upon the ceramic tiles as they made their way to the shrine's center, their eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light that emanated from the mouth of a wooden water god at the room's far end. Kagome's heart gave a sudden lurch as she heard Sango gasp harshly next to her as they neared it...

A solid ring of darkly-clad priests and monks lay crumpled near the statue's foot, all of them bloodied and, if not dead, mortally wounded. All of them had been rent and scratched with what looked like a pair of large claws, and a few of them still had staffs sending sparks into the air, the remnants of what looked like a collective spell.

Sango inhaled sharply as she went to the center of the ring and checked the monks over. "Thank the Lord," she breathed after a moment, coming back to the others. "None of them is my husband. But...where did he go?" she added nervously, looking lost.

"He went to do an exorcism, remember?" Kagome replied quietly. "That was what he said, anyway..."

Sango was already heading to the door of the shrine before the end of her sentence. "I know now!" she exclaimed, shouting back to them. "He must be at Karagi-sama's house! Let's hurry; it's not far!"

They all ran back out into the fray, which seemed to be growing more and more heated as the demons struck down an increasing number of villagers. Sango breathed hard as she stared at a spot over to their right, apparently knowing where to go. "It's over there!" She pointed to a small house at the woods' edge about a hundred yards away from the shrine. "And luckily it still stands! Hurry!"

Once again they began to scramble towards their destination, all of them feeling harried as they desperately attempted to dodge roving claws and arrows coming from the villagers. But Kagome, still holding a screaming Kyoko, was forced to turn around as she thought she heard a familiar voice...

"Heeeeeeeelllllllllllp! Somebody, anybody! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllp meeeeeeeeeee!!"

Kagome gasped, straining her ears in the opposite direction as she immediately recognized the owner of the cries. "Sango!" she cried desperately to her friend, who was already several feet ahead. "Turn back! It's Shippo! IT'S SHIPPO!!"

Sango gave out a small cry as an arrow grazed her shoulder, but she turned around almost immediately, her eyes narrowing as she looked towards Kagome's line of sight, towards a large, horned demon, who was roaring angrily as it tried to maul a small, nimble figure who barely managed to keep away from its swiping claws.

"SHIPPO!!" They ran towards the battle, where the little fox demon was vainly trying to hit the demon with his junk spell. Kirala was the first to attack, sinking her claws into the monster's meaty shoulder. The monster gave off an agonized roar, somehow shaking the other demon off and pinning her to the ground under a pair of razor-sharp, merciless claws.

"NOOOO!!" Sango jumped in, hewing the beast with her boomerang desperately. Shippo, having quickly recovered, joined in again as well, hitting the monster's head with his Fox Fire charm. Between them it was quickly defeated, falling to the ground with a crash, allowing Kirala, panting heavily, to jump back out again.

"Thanks, guys!" the little fox demon cried out cheerily, looking as if the battle was nothing more than an afternoon picnic. "I thought I was a goner there!" He looked around at the disheveled little group, his face broadening into a wide smile that reached his eyes as he noticed the girl who was among them. "_Kagome!_" he exclaimed, grabbing the hem of her skirt with his grubby little paw. "Kagome, you're back! Why - how -"

"No time to explain," Sango interrupted urgently, pointing him towards the Karagi house. "We _have _to find Miroku, and we need your help. Let us go!"

Again, they took it at a run, trying to avoid the bloodthirsty demons at all costs. It seemed to all of them that there was more them now, as they often had to hew and hack a way towards their destination. It was then that Kagome had a sinking realization; the demons were _indeed _coming out of apparently nowhere, and that meant she knew who was behind it all...

They reached the house mostly unharmed, with the possible exception of a singed tail on Shippo's part, but they quickly found out that the house had been sealed from the inside with some sort of charm. "DAMMIT!!" Sango screamed at the top of her lungs, ignoring her bloody shoulder as she continued to slam her body against the wooden door again and again. "I didn't come all the way here for THIS!!"

Kagome felt alarmed as she noted with unease that several wolf-demons had caught sight of them. "Sango!" she shouted, desperately trying to hold a wriggling Kyoko with both arms. "We have to go back! We _have _go back! Look, there's-"

"URGH!!" Suddenly, as if it had been made of some sort transparent glass, the door seemed to give in, and they all fell sideways through it effortlessly. Kagome hit the bamboo floor with a thump, groaning as the tender spot on her head throbbed once again from the impact. Her eyes going in and out of focus as the room slowly wavered into view, she gladly obliged when a willing hand came out of nowhere to help her and Kyoko up. Her heart immediately rose several hundred feet as she noted that the owner of the willing (and ever-wandering) hand happened to be Miroku, though it seemed that his normally calm exterior had been cracked, and he was looking more livid than she had ever seen him...

"Sango!" he barked, rounding in on his wife in an almost feverish manner. "What - what - _WHAT - _what on EARTH are you all doing here?! I TOLD you to get out of here!"

Sango, however, was going to give him a run for his money. "You fool!" she screeched, her face closing in just inches from his. "Do you _honestly _think I was going to just run away and allow you to use your Wind Tunnel again?! You _know _that if you just use it once more you'll-"

"And that's really none of your concern!" His voice was unnaturally high now. "Listen, Sango, this village is finished! The demons are NOT ceasing to arrive, and at this rate we'll all be slaughtered by tomorrow morning! And then you - _you -" _At this point he lost all control, and he turned away from her, shaking angrily. Kagome could have sworn that she saw the beginnings of what looked like tears welling up in his eyes...

"Miroku!" A voice called out anxiously from the shadows. "Start casting! The ward's beginning to crumble!"

"_Shit!" _Giving his wife one last angry look, he turned and went back to the room's other end, kneeling down amongst the other shadowy figures, apparently assisting them with the casting of the same sealing charm that they had come across on the other side of the door.

Kagome strained her eyes across the half-lit room, noticing that several other monks were casting along with them; one of them, in fact, was Kaede, the head priestess of the village. She gave the smallest of nods towards Kagome as she noted her presence.

"Why did he do that, Kagome?!" Shippo ground his teeth anxiously, climbing up onto Kagome's shoulder. "Why was he so mad at us?!"

Kagome thought for a moment. "It's - it's because he loves them," she replied quietly. "He'd do anything for them---even die. I guess you'll understand someday---if we ever live that long," she added quickly as the whole building suddenly shook against the force of some great weight. _(Would YOU care if you knew I was here, Inuyasha?) _she thought bitterly as the door continued to be pounded with several smaller hits. _(Would YOU come and save me if you knew? Even if I'm no longer a jewel detector?)_

BAM!! The house was hit with the hardest barrage yet. Her heart pounding wildly, Kagome watched as a glassy substance wavered and shimmered before her eyes, revealing the battle that was still raging outside and the gigantic Gigas that was trying to pound its way within. "DAMN!!" one of the monks shouted. "The ward---it's going!"

"_SANGO, GET BACK!!" _Miroku shouted, leaping up and practically dragging her towards his end of the room. Kagome ran towards them as well, Miroku quickly ripping Kyoko out of her arms and shoving her into Sango's as he gritted his teeth and watched the door anxiously.

"This is it," he said in a deadly calm voice when the house shook yet again and the wavering transparency shielding them all finally shattered. "Get behind me, everyone! Get behind me and there's a good chance that you won't be sucked in!" And with that he slowly began to unfurl the charm beads from around his cursed hand...

It all happened in slow motion within Kagome's mind. Miroku taking off the cloth covering the hole in his hand...the monks all cowering down against the bamboo floor...Sango letting out a frightened whimper as she readied herself to witness the death of her husband...the Gigas laughing evilly as it finally caught sight of its victims...

"NOOOOOOO!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT!!!!!" Barely even knowing what she was doing herself, Kagome gave out an anguished shout, shoving Miroku's hand back as a sudden bright light shot powerfully out of her own. The small ray almost immediately grew, the ray turning into a beam, the beam turning into a ball of energy, the ball of energy turning into a gigantic sheet of whiteness which engulfed the room. She heard a loud explosion, an explosion that seemed the rock the very ground that she stood on.

Exhausted, she fell to the ground, the whiteness turning to black as immediately as it had arrived.

__

"You missed me, didn't you?"

"Of course I-"

"-and the sheer damage the village sustained is phenomenal. We're very lucky we even_-"_

"-second, you were always right there within my mind."

"-friend of yours over there, she's really amazing. She disintegrated every one of those demons in the blink of an eye, and yet none of the villagers_-"_

"-were in mine."

"Kikyo...it's all over now."

"Thank the Lord my wife and daughter were as unscathed as they were. I regret my crudeness towards them last night_-"_

"And I will protect you from harm always..."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Breaking out into a cold sweat, Kagome was jerked from her state of half-consciousness and back into the realm of reality, her hand clutching her chest with a certain desperateness as if trying to cleanse her heart from what she had once again witnessed. It had been Inuyasha again, he had been pushing Kikyo downwards again, his face in a state of dreamy happiness-

She looked around from where she lay, on a small pallet within what she recognized to be the village shrine. Late morning sunlight arched through the small, high windows near the ceiling. It looked much the same as the previous night, except minus the bodies and the water god statue, whose remains were still smoldering in a corner. Miroku and some other monk she did not know were standing in the opposite corner, staring at her with surprise etched on their faces. Well, at least that explained the odd snippets of conversation that had invaded her dream...

"Kagome, you're awake!" Miroku exclaimed, crossing the shrine with quick, long strides. "We weren't exactly sure when-"

"Miroku, what HAPPENED?!" she interrupted, brief flashes of memory trickling back into her mind. "The last I remember, something shot out of my palm..."

He stared at her gravely for a moment. "Kagome...to be honest, I'm not too sure what happened myself," he answered guardedly. "Your description of what took place for the most part fits mine. Afterwards, you fell to the ground, unconscious..."

"But - but everything's still standing. Did I - did I-"

Miroku nodded grimly.

"But HOW?!" Kagome cried out, tears quickly welling up within her eyes. "I don't know how I did it - I don't know - I really don't know..." Miroku looked on helplessly as they began to leak down her face. "I did it yesterday, too---but why isn't there anyone who can TELL me WHY?!"

"Perhaps I can try," a croaky voice suddenly called out from the doorway. Kagome swiveled around only to find Kaede shuffling over towards her, apparently unwounded from the previous night's battle. "Tell me, Miroku," she questioned the monk as she stopped next to him, "who exactly died from Kagome's blast last night?"

"No casualties on our side," he replied quietly, looking down at his feet. "Amazingly, it was just demons that died from it---and somehow what buildings were left still stood. But what you're saying couldn't have _possibly _happened," he added incredulously, getting the gist of her words. "Kagome can't-"

"_Can't _she?" Kaede remonstrated. "She is, after all, the reincarnation of my sister Kikyo. The light that erupted from her hands was a holy light---and only evil can be harmed from such a thing." She stared at Kagome with a hard glint in her eye. "And it only proves further that ye continue to surpass Kikyo's power by leaps and bounds."

"But why me?" Kagome asked her resignedly. "I didn't ask for it----I didn't want it.! I didn't even know what I was doing when it happened! So why..."

"It takes many years for a priestess with even a moderate amount of power to master her actions," Miroku cut in promptly. "You are just unable to control it right now. However, it may be of use to you whenever your life is threatened..." Kagome's eyes widened as she considered his words. It had happened when the monster had come out of the well, and then once again when the Gigas had threatened to maul them...so did this really prove that she was every bit as powerful as Kikyo? Kikyo---that name still left a sour taste in her mouth. She honestly would have traded _anything _at the moment to not to have been tied in any way to Kikyo---yet everything that had happened seemed to bind her to her ever much the more.

"So did you find the culprit behind the attack yet?" Kagome asked everyone quickly, wanting to change the subject for the moment.

"No one but Naraku could have summoned that many demons," Kaede replied firmly. "And at such a continuous rate..."

Miroku shook his head. "This has to be one of Naraku's oddest moves yet. I haven't heard of an attack for at least six months. It makes me wonder if he was...trying to capture something." He trailed off, but Kagome noted that his eyes flicked over to her as he did so...

That was what did it. It was those words that suddenly wrought a sudden inner change in Kagome. A change that somehow drained the sorrow and feelings of worthlessness that Inuyasha and Kikyo had put into her heart and replaced those feelings with fierce determination. She thought of everything that had transpired since she had ever set foot in Feudal Japan---the shattering of the Shikkon Jewel, the revival of Kikyo, her sudden but lengthy absence after Inuyasha's ultimate betrayal, the fact that Naraku was now searching ceaselessly for her---she realized that she could no longer run from her fate. "Miroku!" she shouted. "I'm gonna do it!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do what, Kagome?"

"I'm gonna fight again!" she exclaimed determinedly, a heat that she hadn't felt since the old days rising within her. "We still have a chance, don't we?! We'll take that Jewel back---and gather the other shards while we're at it!" She rose her body up so that her eyes locked on Miroku's. "Miroku, are you with me?"

At first he looked as though to object, but presently his usual crafty expression came back. "Of course, Kagome!" He laughed humorlessly. "What have I to lose but a cursed life and a hole in my hand?"

"And would Sango come along with us?"

"Definitely," Miroku replied quickly. "She would no doubt castrate me if I left her home---and she never listens to me anyway." He shook his head sadly.

Kaede turned to leave. "Are ye planning on setting out soon?" she asked on an afterthought. "Perhaps it would be better sooner than later---now that Kagome is within his grasp he will not rest until his hand has closed around her."

"We can leave tomorrow, if the proper arrangements are made. Like finding someone to care for Kyoko for a time, for instance." Here Miroku paused meaningfully, still staring at Kaede.

"I _suppose _that would work, Miroku," she replied grudgingly. "Seeing as you are leaving for a decent cause." She exited the shrine without another word.

"Well, I guess it's settled, then," Kagome said perkily, sitting up in bed. "For some reason I feel like I've got a load off my shoulders now. Although that doesn't really make sense, since we're probably all never gonna return from this anyway..." She paused thoughtfully.

Miroku stared at her piercingly. "No...probably not," he admitted with a sigh. "But there's always hope, even in the direst of situations...Still, though, I thank you, Kagome."

"For what?"

"For giving me another shot at keeping my family together."

Preview of next chapter:

"I would think that would be obvious," Miroku replied steadily. "That's what I was trying to tell you, Inuyasha." He swallowed anxiously. "It's Kagome. Kagome's back with us."

"WHAT?!" came the outraged, sputtering shriek. "Miroku! I can't go down there, I can't be seen by her, I - I -" He turned to go back down the hill, but Miroku grabbed him firmly.

"You ARE going down there. You ARE going to treat her civilly. I didn't get my hopes up this morning for nothing." He gave the half-demon a stony gaze. "This is our last shot at defeating Naraku, and we _are _going to use it accordingly."

A/N: One more thing before I go: again, Inuyasha in chapter five, as promised. From there the rating will probably go up to R, and I'll give a warning about this ahead of time. I know that there are probably some complaints out there that I should have put him in almost immediately, but as I've found when I read similar stories: when you rush things and put the lemons and crap in right away, the story, well, sucks. I'd rather have no reviews and have the story up to my standards rather than having it bite and getting the opposite.


	5. Reunion

Disclaimer: The very absurd thought of me owning the Inuyasha franchise is the funniest joke that I've heard all day.

To anyone who is reading this: Well, you've stuck it out! Now to the good stuff, where Kagome and Inuyasha interact and also when the mystery with Kikyo begins to unravel. From now on I promise a lot of tension, nudity, and sick jokes on Miroku's part!

"Well, of COURSE I'm coming!" Sango was exclaiming to Kagome and Miroku, giving them each an indignant look in turn. "I must make sure that my husband-" -here she clenched her teeth threateningly- "-doesn't put things where they don't belong!"

"Such an unfounded accusation, Sango-chan!" Miroku replied lightly. "That happened long long ago, back when you swore at me whenever I tried to so lovingly hit on

you-"

"Not to mention it's probably not true anyway," Kagome grumbled under her breath as she continued to watch them argue. She had seen plenty of Miroku's failed attempts to get a girl even back before Sango had come into the picture, and she severely doubted he had ever succeeded.

She shifted uncomfortably as the light breeze tried to lift up her skirt; though the sun shined with a brilliant fervor overhead, the area around seemed strangely cool. Perhaps it was just the scenery around; a village that was practically destroyed, after all, usually wasn't a pleasant, comfortable sight. Smoke still billowed around in a few places, and rubble littered the once tidy landscape. The villagers currently were desperately trying to salvage what few buildings still stood, but even those were few, as the destruction had been rampant the night before. It seemed that they weren't willing to leave, however, despite the fact that over a hundred of their loved ones had fallen at the hands of the demons...

"Oh, just shut up already!" Sango huffed, pointing to the little girl asleep in her arms. "You'll wake her up, and if you remember it took BOTH of us to get her asleep this morning!" She shifted her back further into the wide trunk of the tree that they were all sitting against, attempting to pointedly ignore Miroku.

"Aw, Sango-chan!" he whined. "You can't ignore me for long!"

"..."

"Not if I do _this-_"

CRACK!! Miroku winced as he rubbed his hand, Sango glaring daggers at him as she deftly thwarted a rather wishful attempt to grope her chest. "Honestly," she muttered angrily, just loud enough for him to hear. "You can do that all you want when we're _alone, _but when Kagome's here..." She continued off into a spiel of incoherent mumbling.

Miroku sighed ruefully. "I suppose I had best be off then, as I am grossly unappreciated here," he announced in what he probably thought was a pathetic voice. "Kaede's sending me over to the neighboring village in order to see if they suffered a similar fate. Do you need Kirara?"

Sango shook her head. "Take her. We'll be waiting at home; it seemed fine when we left last night. And get back at a decent hou-" She abruptly got cut off in mid-sentence, but that really no surprise, as Miroku had decided to take advantage of her off-guardedness and sneak a kiss. Kagome watched interestedly as she noticed that Sango made no attempt to push him away; instead she caressed his cheek with her free hand. They broke off after a few seconds, Sango leaning back against the tree again and Miroku standing up and grabbing his staff (get your minds out of the gutter!).

He ruffled the still-sleeping Kyoko's hair as he waited for Kirara to transform. "Be waiting for me then, you two. We will most definitely have much to discuss tonight when I arrive home."

Kagome watched puzzled as she watched him lope off on Kirara's back. "What does he mean by '_much to discuss' _, Sango?" she asked her friend, who was still looking uncharacteristically breathless as she too stared in Miroku's direction.

"What?" She shook her head. "Oh...I'm sure it's nothing. He's always such an actor, Kagome. I'm sure that he just wants to talk about our plans so we can decide where to head for first." She smiled, rocking Kyoko gently as she gave a slight stir. "I'm looking forward to our little journey, actually, especially if it means another chance at Naraku. And it'll just be like old times-" Here she stopped abruptly, looking regretful as Kagome's face fell. "Well, not _exactly _like old times," she added quickly, grabbing her shoulder. "But it'll have changed for the better. _Forget _about him, Kagome," she added firmly. "He's not worth the space in your mind."

Kagome sighed. "I know, I _know..._But it's easier said than done. And especially now that I'm back _here_." She waved her hand around vaguely, towards the shrine and the still-smoking village.

Sango looked at her hard for a moment, but decided to let it drop. "Let's go home, then," she said matter-of-factly, standing up carefully enough so that Kyoko would not awaken. "We both need to get cleaned up, for one thing. Just look at your clothes-" -here she wrinkled her nose as her hand brushed Kagome's blood-stained sweater- "and I probably should redress my bandages." She stared disgustedly at her bandaged shoulder, where the stray arrow had hit her the night before.

"All right," Kagome said simply, getting up herself as Sango led the way back to the house. But she couldn't shake off the feeling that Miroku had actually implied more than what he had actually said...

Miroku, meanwhile, was riding over the treetops of the forest on Kirala, shielding his eyes as he searched for his destination. He scanned the forest canopy, specifically looking for a small clearing completely surrounded by devil thorns. That would signify that he was getting closer to where he was in all actuality going, which was the dark, murky recesses of the forest's far end, at least twenty miles from Kaede's village.

He patted Kirara's head encouragingly. "Just a bit farther, girl...and then you can have a rest. We really need to do this..." -he sighed regretfully- "...although I genuinely wish we didn't."

"Kagome, please forgive me," he voiced out loud, urging Sango's demon onward. "But despite your black feelings we still need Inuyasha!"

Two hours, an exhausted Kirara, and an extreme case of saddlesoreness later (though we won't get into that), Miroku finally arrived in the area known enigmatically to the villagers as the Black Forest. Rumor had it that something lurked there, something terribly strong, something that viciously mauled anyone wandering in with sharp, evil claws.

Miroku, however, knew better. Inuyasha just liked his privacy, although he himself thought that angrily threatening everyone off property that he didn't even own was a bit much. As if most people wouldn't be fearful of him on sight in the first place...

He climbed off Kirara tensely, immediately feeling the absolute stillness and aura of expectancy that seemed to overwhelm the surrounding trees. Even though he had been here several times in the past and now knew full well that there was nothing to be afraid of, he always felt a bit edgy when coming here, just a little...

"Inuyasha!" he called out boldly, almost jumping when his sandaled foot unexpectedly crunched a twig. "Inuyasha, come out! I need to speak with you!"

He glowered as he crouched down next to Kirara, praying that Inuyasha had heard his cries and that he wouldn't have to start searching the forest. This place really _was _creepy, if it all came down to it... It was a shame that he had no earthly idea where he actually lived; he just knew the vague area in the forest where he could be found...

"Inuyasha!" He shouted again, slamming his staff into the ground impatiently. "Are you there?!"

He felt a pang of relief when he finally heard the familiar grumpy voice ringing out towards him from somewhere to his right. "All right, all _right _already, monk! I could hear your bellowing a mile off!"

Miroku's breath gave a sharp intake as he gazed at the large shadow quickly coming towards him, but it stopped when it gave way to the familiar sight of Inuyasha, who looked very much the same despite since his long seclusion within the forest. He stepped out into open, his eyes fixed on Miroku darkly. "What is it _now, _monk?" he asked grumpily, crossing his arms over his chest. "I came over to your place a couple months ago, _didn't _I?"

"No, I'm afraid this is a little more important," Miroku replied quickly, trying to stand his ground. Inuyasha, despite being (although he would never admit it in a million years) a friend, was, after all, rather intimidating...

"_What?!"_

"We have decided to go after Naraku once more," Miroku announced steadily. "and we need your assistance. We need to collect a few Jewel Shards, and then perhaps take him head on."

The half-demon rolled his eyes disgustedly. "Even _I _can find a few problems with THAT stupid plan," he spat. "First of all, you know damn well that I can't even wield Tetsusaiga anymore. The stupid thing's practically useless! And besides, even if we defy all odds and actually FIND a jewel shard, how the hell are we gonna purify it? We don't have anyone _qualified _for that anymore, if you remember, Miroku!" A ray of sunlight hit his face, revealing the long, thin brown scar running lengthwise down his face, a scar that was fairly fresh...

Miroku closed his eyes. "Just hear me out, Inuyasha," he pleaded resignedly. "Things aren't really as bad as they seem..." When it all came down to it he was wary against mentioning Kagome at the moment; he had a sneaking suspicion that he would REALLY refuse to come if he came out and told the truth right away...

"_Really?! How?!_" was the sarcastic answer.

"Inuyasha, please! We HAVE to try _something_! Last night our village was practically burned down to the ground, and-"

Here he raised his eyebrows. "Well, why didn't you come and GET me, you idiot?!" he snarled. "It's not as if I'm useless without Tetsusaiga!"

"And exactly my point," Miroku shot back smoothly. "But you've never made it clear that you're on call whenever we need help, so the thought never occurred to me. However..." He paused for a moment.

"Just come with me, Inuyasha," he finally pleaded. "Please."

"Oh, all right," he finally gave in, waving him off. "I'm bored as hell anyway. It's actually almost better purposely trying to get killed than to hang around _here _any longer." He glowered at the surrounding trees.

They both climbed onto Kirara's back without another word, Miroku unable to help giving off a smug grin. Getting Inuyasha to help had been quite easy, easier than he had anticipated. Now to just keep the two from killing each other later on so they could start the journey tomorrow...

As they soared off into the sky, Miroku could not help but sneak a look at his bitter-looking friend behind him, which elicited an angry "_WHAT?!" _but also gave him a chance to look into his eyes. He shook his head sadly as he noted it was still there...the pain was still there. Pain that had begun to radiate from him on that day three years ago...Although it was still up in the air as to _who _had caused that pain, he had a feeling that he would learn soon. Perhaps too soon.

Everyone had remained on good terms ever since their disbandment after their final defeat at Naraku's hand, with Inuyasha occasionally coming to visit their house near the well and they coming to visit him in the forest, but the subject of Kagome had always been an unspoken taboo between them. However, he reflected with a sigh, it seemed that it was once again going to surface...

"Let's see..." Sango held a chord of dried fish up into the waning evening sunlight. "_This _seems to be all right." She handed it over to Kagome, who was kneeling on the grass next to her. "Put it in the bag with the others."

Kagome complied, looking around in wonder at the pile of rucksacks and bags that Sango had filled so far for the journey ahead. "Geez, Sango...I know you like to pack things, but isn't this all a little overkill?"

Her friend shook her head vigorously. "Not even close. If we're taking a cross-country trip, then we definitely need enough food for one." She haphazardly threw a blanket onto Kagome's lap. "And besides," she added matter-of-factly, giving her a pointed look, "I _really _don't want Miroku dragging us to some manor and telling them that-"

-here she waved her arms- "-an ominous black cloud has risen over it. That's just - that's just - _wrong._"

"It might be wrong, but it sure saved us that one time during that thunderstorm," Kagome replied, adding the blanket to the bag. She fell silent as she thought back to that night, vividly recalling the torrential sheets of rain and the dangerous lightning that had caused them all to give in and beg Miroku to find a place to philander his way into. Inuyasha had been shielding her from the rain with his body, his arm wrapped tightly about her shoulder-

"DADDY DADDY DADDY!!!" Kagome started as she was brought back to reality, watching as Kyoko without warning jumped up from petting Kirala, toddling up the small knoll that rose up immediately before the house.

Sango didn't bother to look up. "Looks like Miroku's back," she said softly, tying some apples into a bundle and throwing them into a rucksack. "And, by the sounds of it," -she paused to listen hard for a moment- "-he's brought a dinner guest." She rolled her eyes. "Damn it, why couldn't he have just come back _alone?! _That idiot, anyway..." She stood, brushing off her breezy red kimono. "Keep them outside, Kagome, while I put on some more tea." She hurried off towards the house.

Kagome craned her ears towards the knoll as well. Yes, there _were_ two distinct voices talking behind it, intermingled with Kyoko's happy cries. One of them was for sure Miroku's, but the other... She shook her head vigorously. No way, there was _no _way that it could be him... Impossible. She was just imagining things...

"DADDY DADDY DADDY!!!" Miroku and Inuyasha, with Kirara trailing at their heels, watched as Kyoko came running over the brow of the hill, her almond-shaped eyes twinkling as she sighted the pair. However, it was not to Miroku that she leapt into the arms of first, but into those of...

"Inyazza! Inyazza!" She gurgled happily as she reached up to pinch his doggy ears, to which he flinched but bravely continued to hold her as they started up the knoll.

"Geez, Miroku," he retorted as she found her way down to his nose, "Your little brat's grown quite a bit since I saw her last, huh?"

Miroku grinned. "She still takes a liking to you, though," he commented knowledgably, noting the very faintest shadow of a smile that had momentarily flitted across the half-demon's face as he held the little girl. "You'll be a father yet, Inuyasha; it's only a matter of time until you find a filly to make babies with."

Inuyasha snorted incredulously. "Father?! Me?! _Hell _will freeze over ten times before _that _happens, monk!" He then proceeded to step over the brow over the hill...

Miroku stopped him with his arm. "Wait a minute, Inuyasha," he announced nervously. "Before we get to the house there's something you should know. You see-" he began, but was quickly cut off by the sight of his friend's jaw scraping the ground.

"Who's THAT?!" he gawked, slowly putting Kyoko down as he gazed steadily down the hill.

"I would think that would be obvious," Miroku replied steadily. "That's what I was trying to tell you, Inuyasha." He swallowed anxiously. "It's Kagome. Kagome's back with us."

"WHAT?!" came the outraged, sputtering shriek. "Miroku! I can't go down there, I can't be seen by her, I - I -" He turned to go back down the hill, but Miroku grabbed him firmly.

"You ARE going down there. You ARE going to treat her civilly. I didn't get my hopes up this morning for nothing." He gave the half-demon a stony gaze. "This is our last shot at defeating Naraku, and we _are _going to use it accordingly."

"Miroku, you don't understand-"

"_Please, _Inuyasha," he replied irritably. "I gathered enough from what I saw of her running for the well bawling her eyes out and _you _practically pulling up your pants as you ran after her. And you think I don't understand? Now-" he started, looking him straight in the eye. "Do you wish to defeat Naraku?"

"Yes."

"This month?"

"Yes."

"This year?"

"Yes."

"This _century?!_"

"YES ALREADY!" Inuyasha bellowed. "NOW GET TO THE GODDAMN POINT!!"

"Then you will be man enough to face her," was all Miroku said as he grabbed Kyoko's hand and slowly walked down the hill.

Kagome's heart froze as she watched them from afar, Miroku and Kyoko slowly descending the knoll with Inuyasha following them a few seconds later. Her heart sank as she stared at the latter; he was keeping his head down, but as far as she could tell he hadn't changed a bit. His long silver hair streamed out in the breeze behind his shoulders, and his tall, lithe frame was still clad in the customary red. She began to shake as he came ever closer; she couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe that she was looking at him right now...It was almost too much for her heart to bear.

"Well," Miroku started as they all approached, "I suppose I had better explain to you the true reason for my absence." He jerked his thumb over towards Inuyasha, who had a scowl pasted on his face and was conveniently attempting to avoid her eye.

Kagome's eyes hardened as she stared at him. "Inuyasha," she finally stated coldly, in a voice quite unlike her own.

"Kagome," was what she got in reply, in an equally stony voice.

Miroku looked from one to the other with a wary eye. "Now can you two behave civilly during the course of our journey?"

"Yes."

Kagome got onto her feet. "Yes, if he stays _away_!" she spat as she headed back towards the house, unable to handle the tension any longer. Of _all _the things that had to happen today, why THIS?!

Miroku and Inuyasha silently watched her depart, neither of them very surprised at her reaction. Both of them supposed that although she was angry, her unspoken response regarding journeying with Inuyasha had been a 'yes'.

Miroku almost let out a sigh of relief. In all reality he had been expecting the initial confrontation to go rather badly, perhaps badly enough for one or both of them to storm off. _(Looks like we're all right...for now, anyway. Hopefully they both want to defeat Naraku enough to stand one another. And now to tell Sango about all this...) _He gulped visibly at the very thought.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, was thinking something totally different. _He _was still watching Kagome retreat; for some reason or other his eyes were still fixed on her. _(Wow, it HAS been three years, hasn't it? She's changed...) _His eyes shamelessly progressed downwards, away her silky black hair, and down to her full breasts, and further down to the vague outline of her behind, the skirt covering it short enough so that he had an enticing view of her legs. And there was the way that her hips swung as she walked; he inwardly cursed himself for noticing that last bit; it had caused what seemed to have been all the blood in his body to rush to somewhere uncomfortably unfamiliar... Damn, the sight of them made him want to thrust-

He almost slapped himself for that last thought.

A/N: And that's only a whisper of what I'll have later on...


	6. Intensity

Disclaimer: With the exception of some DVD's, a couple of manga books, and a poster, there's nothing that I own that's Inuyasha related, I'm afraid...

Click. Click.

Click. Click.

__

Click Click.

The only noise in the entire room was the infuriating _click click _of chopsticks. Kagome glowered at everyone as she picked at her sake and rice; at this point she almost would have preferred a shouting match. The tension continued to mount with each passing minute, becoming almost unbearable for everyone at the table.

Everyone was glaring furtively at one another. Kagome was glaring at Miroku for daring to bring the dog-demon within two miles of her. Inuyasha was also glaring at Miroku for having pulled such a dirty trick on him. Miroku was glaring at Inuyasha for having handled the reunion so inappropriately. Sango glared at _both _Inuyasha and Miroku, looking unsure as to who she was more livid at. Kyoko glared at no one but stared wide-eyed at everyone, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Kagome jumped when Miroku suddenly laughed shakily. "Soooo...nice to see everyone together again, isn't it, guys?" He looked around upon the predictable angry silence. "Guys?"

Inuyasha summed it all up rather nicely. "Oh, just shut _up, _Miroku."

The monk sighed resignedly. "Gladly."

"What on God's green earth were you _thinking, _Miroku?" Sango hissed angrily at her husband after everyone had finally blown the facade and dispersed. "Forcing that poor girl to be with Inuyasha like that! I'll bet anything she's sitting somewhere and crying her eyes out right now!"

Miroku gritted his teeth as he slowly scraped away at a plate. "Sango, there was no going around it. I _had _to get Inuyasha. We don't stand a chance without his help!"

She shook her head. "That may be, but you still had no right to shock her like that! And besides-" -she spattered dishwater everywhere as she submerged a pair of chopsticks rather forcefully- "we have _never _known where Inuyasha's loyalties lie! Even God forbid we _do _get the entire Shikkon Jewel, what's keeping him from wishing to be a pure demon and killing us all?!"

Miroku sighed. "I don't know...I just don't know. It's too early to know what would happen. But even _you _have to admit that had it not been for him we would all be six feet under."

"I suppose," she replied coolly, "but this could have been handled with a little more finesse. You _have _to take Kagome's feelings into consideration, for one thing." She turned her back to him, suddenly feeling a sudden new rush of anger. "_Argh, _this is _it, _Miroku!" she screeched disgustedly. "For the next five hundred years, _you _are getting no - _no-_"

Miroku's face squinched up painfully. "Sango-chan! _Anything _but _that_!"

"_Yes." _She hissed. _"That."_

Shifting restlessly, Kagome perked her ears up as she heard Miroku's pleading howls coming from the house. A small swell of triumph surged through her as she supposed, with a sigh, that he was getting punished by Sango for having sprung Inuyasha on her like that. And it seemed, going by the increasing intensity of the begging, that he was going to be abstinent for pretty much the rest of his life.

__

(Serves him right,) she thought tersely. _(I thought he got it, that he understood. But instead he goes and does THIS...)_

(I wasn't ready for this...I wasn't ready to face him again. For crying out loud, I just ended that whole fiasco with Hojo! I was just perhaps starting to forget, to get it all behind me...but now I 'm landed HERE. But yet I'm obligated to finish what I started. It's just gonna keep getting worse and worse, isn't it?)

She was puzzled about something that just didn't seem right, however. And it was about Inuyasha himself. _(He seemed so...so...I don't know. He didn't act in a way that I'd expect. I've never seen him like that before. Cross, yes, pissed off, yes, frustrated, yes, but not - not - SAD." _She shook her head at that last thought. Inuyasha...SAD? From what she remembered of him he tended to take his emotions out in a totally different manner...like through anger, for instance. What was going on?

__

(Tch...maybe he's just sad about leaving Kikyo and his ten thousand kids behind. That's probably it.) But, she reflected after a moment, that didn't seem to click either. This seemed to be a different kind of sad. _(Where IS Kikyo, anyway? No one's said a word about her ever since I came back. I'm sure she hasn't died or anything...Hey, maybe she-) _She cut that thought off before it even ended, however. _(No, that's not possible. Five more minutes and I would've been watching them get naked. No...)_

And then what of her journey coming up? How would she be able to _stand _it?! How would she be able to work alongside him once again without cracking? All of those minutes, all of those hours; _all _of those would be spent near him. And it wouldn't be like old times; every minute would stretch by endlessly, with a heavy cloud of silence permeating all around. A cloud that wanted to smother her...

Tension. Not just tension between everyone for various reasons, but _real _tension between her and Inuyasha. She had felt it there at the table, whether she had wanted to acknowledge it or not. The way he had stared dully at his plate across from her, the way she almost swore he had been looking at her. It was felt almost unbearable, and finally she had just pushed her plate of rice away, muttering something about getting some fresh air. She had no way of knowing for sure, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Inuyasha had followed suit...

Before it had been pure sexual tension. Sexual tension that had seared through both of them, or so she had thought. To her their ceaseless bickering had covered up the inner conflict within her, that bothersome urge that made her want to lose all decency and tell him that she wanted to screw him senseless. It had turned out a good thing that she hadn't lost her control, however; in the end she had learned that he had never felt anything for her in the first place. His constant chagrin towards her had probably been nothing more than it had seemed on the surface.

This time around, however, things would be different. Although she admittedly HAD enjoyed having a sparring partner (it had made things more interesting), she was positive that it wouldn't be happening on this journey. There would be no sexual tension this time, and even if things took another turn and they started speaking to each other, there would probably be no charged arguments either. Just silence...

One thing was true: this was going to be a hell of a journey.

"What a beautiful morning it is, Sango-chan!" Miroku grinned insanely as he stood within the open doorway, staring out at the sheeting white rain pouring straight down from an angry sky. "The little droplets of rain, they look exactly like little diamonds-"

"_Yes, _Miroku, I _did _pack the umbrella," Sango cut him off testily as she too stared outside. She sighed frustratedly as she rummaged through a particularly full bag. "Dammit, _why _did it have to do this the day we set off?! You would have thought after all of those sunny days-"

__

(It's probably an omen,) Kagome thought moodily as she stared at her from the opposite end of the table. _(An omen telling me about just how much this journey is gonna suck. Honestly, I should just go home...) _Her eyes jerked over towards Inuyasha, who was making no sign of movement in a corner. He was the only one in the entire room who seemed calm; the only part of him showing life was his eyes, which flickered around as they watched everything play out. It was probably all just a game to him, Kagome huffed as one ginger orb briefly caught hers and then immediately looked away. He probably thought it was all a joke...

"Well, who cares!" Sango was saying as she hefted her boomerang behind her back. "It's not as if a little rain will hurt us!"

Miroku winced. "Perhaps not for you, but as for me, water tends to cause -er- shrinkage."

A collective groan arose from throughout the room.

"My _God, _Miroku..."

"Too much information!"

"Honestly, if your pick-up lines get _any _more pathetic..."

Soon even this, however, died down, and everyone got back into the former humdrum of waiting. Miroku still continued to stand restlessly at the doorway, trying to peer through the buckets of rain that still emptied from the skies. Sango carried on fretting over the baggage, packing and repacking various items with Kyoko tagging along at her heels. And Inuyasha went on being an observer, sitting in the corner as if he wasn't even a part of the scene...

Finally Miroku perked up considerably. "Lady Kaede!" he called out into the downpour as he noticed a familiar figure materializing from the gloom. "You're here at last!" he added as he helped her into the house.

"I apologize for being late," was all she said as she threw back her rough woolen cloak, revealing her sodden form. "The walk was considerably longer because of the rain."

"No, it's not a nice day to start a journey," Sango agreed as she finally finished fussing with the final rucksack. "However, it is not our choice to wait any longer..."

"Have ye decided where to head first?" Kaede asked.

"Kagome senses a jewel shard north of here, over the mountains," Miroku explained, finally averting his eyes from the doorway. "We may as well see if we can obtain it first, as we do not have any powerful weapons to fight Naraku with."

Kagome nodded her head in agreement. "We don't even have that jewel shard that caused me to fall back down the well. I wonder if Naraku's got it."

"He may very well have it," Kaede replied. "Having thought about this, I wonder if it wasn't his intention all along to lure ye back here..." She paused thoughtfully for a moment.

"What are _you _on about, old hag?!" Inuyasha burst out abruptly, leaving his corner and approaching Kaede, scowling. "_Why _the hell would he need Kagome anymore?"

The old priestess shook her head. "I have no idea. And that's why I urge for ye all to exercise extreme caution when journeying. It may be that he needs her to sense the final jewel shards, so make sure to secure the ones that ye might collect. It would be disastrous if he got his hands on them..."

The half-demon rolled his eyes. "It's not as if we have a chance anyway, old woman! We're screwed no matter _what _we do, if you ask me." He glared murderously at the remaining group members. Kagome made sure to glare at him back. What made HIM the so-called expert, anyway?! He was still such a _prick_, she thought with frustration.

"HEY!!" Everyone jumped as an indignant voice coming from just outside abruptly interrupted them. "What are you all doing?! Are you planning on leaving me behind?!" Everyone stared amused as Shippo suddenly materialized from within the gloom outside, looking very wet and, for that matter, also very angry. "'Cause you're NOT!!" he added with a stamp of his tiny paw.

Everyone looked down at him incredulously, none of them overly wanting to break the bad news to him.

"Shippo," Miroku finally began calmly, "It's not going to be like last time. This time we might never return, and it would be foolish to bring you towards sure death. Technically in demon years you aren't all that much older than Kyoko, and-"

"I don't _care_!!" Shippo whined, tugging at the monk's robes pathetically. "I wanna go with you guys! Come on! I helped you last time! Didn't I? _Didn't I?!_"

"You did, but-"

"So WHY?! C'mon! _Please?!_" The little fox demon began to sniffle piteously. "Have a heart, you guys! I just wanna see Kagome again! _Please?!_"

"No means NO, Shippo!" Inuyasha shouted tersely, striding past Kagome to glare at him. "Don't you GET it?!" He took a special moment to glare at Kagome fiercely, as if the entire matter had been her fault. "And besides, Kagome's right here! So there! You looked at her! I have no clue why you'd want to in the first place, but..." He pointedly ignored her angry gasp, going on, "So you can go now, Shippo! And consider it lucky that you're not gonna kiss death right on the mouth!"

Shippo, however, wasn't going to give in anytime soon. "I don't care if I have to kiss death on the _butt, _Inuyasha! I'm coming along!" He unfastened himself from Miroku's robes and gazed at Kagome pleadingly. "Kagome, _do _something! I don't WANNA stay here!"

Kagome stared at him stupidly for a moment. To tell the truth, she DID kind of want Shippo along, for reasons aside from the fact that he was her friend... There would be another person to distance her from Inuyasha with him along, for one thing; and that was by all means welcome, especially if he was planning on treating her like THIS during the entire journey. In addition, anything done in defiance of him was a definite positive. He _still _undeniably needed to be taught a thing or two about compromising...

"Well, come on then, Shippo!" she finally exclaimed hotly. "You don't have to stay here if you don't want to! You've come with us before, so who says that you can't again?!"

"_I _do!" Inuyasha, of course, wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"Well, who cares about _you?!_" Kagome countered venomously.

"All right, everyone!" Miroku managed to cut in before Inuyasha could reply (although he starting to turn a rather interesting shade of puce). "I think we can all go a few moments without bickering! Shippo-" -here he nodded at the little fox demon- "-you might as well come along-"

"_YEAH!!"_

"-as long as you don't cause trouble-"

__

"YAY!!"

"-and absolutely _no _pranks!"

Shippo looked at him innocently. "But I thought you'd actually _like _Sango trying to seduce you in the middle of the night, Miroku!"

"Not if it's you under that alteration spell!" the monk shot back, giving him the evil eye.

"Well, it's not like I _kissed _you or anything! That's just gross!"

"_What_?!" Sango chimed in, looking ready to kill both of them.

"N-nothing, Sango-chan-"

"Never mind!"

"Can we all get going _today_?!" Inuyasha bellowed in a disgruntled voice.

Everyone jumped but immediately saw the point. "As I was saying," Kaede began smoothly, "use the utmost caution when on this journey. Naraku will be searching for ye for sure, so do not make it easier by venturing too far north unless ye are prepared."

"Yeah, yeah, we KNOW!" the half-demon retorted. "You have anything _else _to say that we don't know?!"

A long silence ensued, in which only the pitter-patter of raindrops could be heard. Everyone shifted uncomfortably as they all realized that there _was _nothing more to say. Finally Sango broke the stillness by kneeling down next to Kyoko and kissing her cheek. "You be good to Lady Kaede, Kyoko," she said to her softly. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

As Miroku left his place at the doorway to join them as well, Kagome found herself turning away from the flurry of hugging and kissing. It made her uncomfortable, to tell the truth... Perhaps it was just an isolated corner of her twisted mind, but somehow the closeness of the tightly-knit family reminded her of Inuyasha... About what _could _have happened, but didn't... Though maybe it had actually been for the best...

Inuyasha was watching them with an apparent look of disgust. "Hmph, stupid wishy-washy crap," she swore she heard him mutter. "Who _needs _it?!" That, however, was when he noticed her looking at him, and when he turned away from her.

Kagome, though, was already distracted. Kaede was coming up to the table, holding in her hands something that had been previously hidden by her cloak. If she wasn't mistaken, it looked like a decently-sized bow accompanied with a quiver of white-tipped arrows...

"I give this to ye as a gift, Kagome," Kaede said, proffering the weapon, "as ye are in need of a weapon. But keep in mind that this is no ordinary bow. It has powerful magic residing within it, as it once belonged to my sister Kikyo---"

That magic word did it. Upon Kaede's utterance the entire room was flooded with tension-filled silence. Miroku and Sango both looked up apprehensively, looking startled. Shippo stared at everyone confusedly. Even Inuyasha gave a slight stir, the scowl from before immediately wiped off his face. Eventually everyone was staring at Kagome, who seemed to be turning whiter and whiter with each agonizing second. She didn't know what to do, what to say...

"I don't want it," she finally announced flatly, pushing Kaede's hands away. "I don't need a weapon; I did fine without one before."

"But I insist!" Kaede pressed, pushing it back towards her. "Ye cannot depend on your holy powers to pull ye through desperate times. especially at the hands of demons."

"No!" Kagome shook her head resolutely. "I'll find another way! I want absolutely _nothing _to do with - with - _her!_"

Everyone really looked alarmed now, but Kaede remained calm. Slowly putting the accursed bow and arrow inside one of the already stuffed rucksacks, she murmured in a soft voice that only Kagome had to strain to hear, "It is unfortunate, Kagome, but whether ye like it or not, your fate is closely tied to that of Kikyo's. Ye will have to learn to accept it, and possibly even learn to embrace it. Remember that..." Kagome watched the old woman as she closed the sack, wondering if she was seeing things. She could have sworn she saw her jerk her head towards Inuyasha at saying that. And that the half-demon had flinched...

After some final farewells and the distributing of all the supplies (Miroku and Inuyasha, fortunately, were the ones to get most of Sango's load), they all set off into the rain, Miroku and Sango still crying out goodbyes to Kyoko, who was standing with Kaede at the doorway. The rain, however, was still fierce, and soon they became nothing more than faded blurs, and after that wavered out of view. And that was the last that Kagome saw of them for a long time...

Their backs slightly bent due to the relentless downpour, they hurried for the cover of the forest, which, though dripping wet, was slightly better than being out in the open. They would have the cover of the woods for about fifteen miles before heading out into the plains neighboring the mountains. Once there Kagome would have a better idea of how far away the Jewel Shard was...

Everyone was silent, probably all slightly perturbed from the last exchange from Kaede. Inuyasha took the lead, his damp silver hair flowing behind him due to the wind. Kagome slowed her pace so that she wouldn't have to go near him; the current vibe that she was emanating from his was not a good one. It made her nervous. And tense... She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but the feeling was one that made her want to go near him and to stay away from him at the same time...

Instead she fell back next to Miroku, who was already looking rather bedraggled and was still staring ruefully back in the direction of home. Although she probably could have broken down and started crying if she wasn't determined to play keep away with her feelings, she managed to crack a smile at him as they trudged through the drenched greenery. "Hey," she said to him in a curious tone, "that reminds me...about Shippo...just HOW did you realize that it was Shippo fooling you?"

Miroku squinched up his face painfully, as if he would have done anything to erase the memory. "Let's just say," he replied quietly, so that Sango could not hear, "that I grabbed his 'tail'."

Preview of next chapter:

"But I suppose you know all about flattery, Inuyasha," she spat, getting onto her elbows, "since you're so big-headed all the time, thinking that everything and everyone revolves around _you_! You're so selfish!"

"Are you calling ME selfish?!" His voice got higher and higher with every word. "What about YOU?! YOU'RE the one who took off and left us all in the dust! You abandoned your duty! Look how everything turned out because of you! And you're calling me SELFISH?!"

A few notes before I go:

The switching between you and ye in Kaede's dialogue is intentional. Grumbles I hate the way she talks!

I need to warn you guys before it happens: the rating's going up to R in Chapter Eight, for -um- well, I can't tell you, that'd be giving away the story, right? Anyway, since the default filter on only goes up to PG-13, I thought I'd better mention it well ahead of time.

And also, um, I know everyone hates whiners, but I've been noticing that I have a lot of lurkers (people who read but don't review), and I'm finding it quite demoralizing. Could you please start reviewing more so that I have more of a clear idea of what I'm doing right or wrong? The ideal review is something that gives both good and bad points about the workings of the story, like the one Third Reincarnation gave me for chapter four. That way if I'm going in the wrong direction I quickly fix it.


	7. Tension

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. If I did, well, let's just say that the plotline would go a little differently...

Summary: Tempers flare angrily between everyone when a thunderstorm hits later that night. Everyone is a victim, especially poor Kagome, who gets into a heated argument with Inuyasha...

Author's Note: Hi! Thanks for all the reviews! I finally feel like this is something actually worth reading... Anyway, I'm really sorry about the paragraph breaks. I usually mark a change in scenes through little star thingies, but they disappear on me every time I upload. grumbles Damn punctuation thieves...

Oh yes, and I'd better clear this up: despite what you're seeing now, this IS an Inuyasha/Kagome fic. I can't really say more than that, since it would be giving away the plot, but there's a reason for all of this happening (I've even left a few hints).

The sun (if it could have been seen) hadn't even set over the lofty mountains nearby, but Miroku was already up to his old tricks. "Oh, come on!" he pleaded, staring at each member of the group in turn. "It's much better than soaking out here!"

Sango raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she countered in a cool tone, putting her hands on her hips. "So what you're saying, Miroku, is that it's much better to con some lord into boarding us instead of spending just _one _wet night out here?"

"Yes!" The monk nodded vigorously. "Of course!" He froze at the sheer dirtiness of the look that Sango was shooting him. "Oh, come on, Sango-chan!" he begged. "I won't even make the black cloud that ominous!"

Kagome rolled her eyes as she took in the scene from her spot under a large tree, whose leaves were constantly dripping rainwater onto her. It had been like this for some time, starting when Inuyasha finally called for a halt and with them trying to set up camp here at the edge of the forest. "Trying" was the keyword, it had to be added. Miroku and Sango were at it with the "ominous black cloud" argument again, which occurred every time there was a rainstorm. Inuyasha was bending down with some flint and tinder, using some very colorful curse words as he failed yet again to start a fire. She had no idea where Shippo was, but she was sure that he was probably up to some mischief.

(This day sucked,) Kagome thought, shifting restlessly as she watched Inuyasha somehow start a small flame and then somehow snuff it out again. The rain had continued unceasingly; although the forest had halfway provided them with cover, they were by now completely soaked to the bone. And no one had talked to each other for most of the day; they had all just marched depressed through the forest. Although, she reflected, it didn't really matter whether or not she talked to Inuyasha; the dirty looks occasionally shot in her direction all day said more than any words.

Inuyasha... That accursed name still made her grit her teeth in pure frustration. She gazed at him, eyes narrowed, as he continued to bend down over the non-existent fire, swearing vehemently as he somehow ignited his own sleeve. She wished that he'd just disappear, or that he'd shut _up _already...then again, perhaps not, he _was_, after all, bending over... And in her direction, too. _Damn, _she'd forgotten over the years just how sweet that ass of his had looked---

"_Ugh!!_" she found herself exclaiming out loud, realizing what blasphemous thought had crossed her brain. Honestly, no matter HOW good it looked, the last thing that she should be thinking about at the moment was Inuyasha's nice, tight, wonderful---

"I _won't_!" she found herself bursting out, unconsciously kicking a nearby clump of dirt. She wouldn't, she couldn't, she absolutely SHOULD not think dirty, perverted thoughts about her now-enemy! Speaking of dirty, though...

"The HELL?!" Inuyasha cried out, rubbing his behind and finding that his hand was smeared with dirt. He whirled around to glare at Kagome, who, as always in his book, was his immediate suspect.

Kagome felt her face turning fire engine red. "Um -er- sorry, Inuyasha!" she stammered out.

He gave off some kind of unintelligible growl in reply and turned around to resume unsuccessfully starting the fire.

Kagome scowled as his back once again faced hers. What a way to handle the situation, being all meek like that... If anything she should have yelled at him for being in the way of the dirt clump. Weakness was the last thing that she should be showing him at the moment; if she showed even a hint of it he would be sure to exploit it, to flaunt his love for Kikyo openly... And the last thing she needed was any mention of Kikyo.

"Hey, guys!" She jumped in her place as a small but familiar figure jumped down from the trees. "Guess what I found!"

Miroku and Sango took time aside from their bickering to stare at the newly-arrived Shippo, who was dripping wet but quite happy about something or other. "What is it?" Miroku asked him, puzzled.

"I found a place!" Shippo responded happily, jumping up and down for good measure. "It's right at the foot of the mountains! A really big place---somewhere where we can stay!"

Miroku perked up considerably. "Wonderful! You see, Sango-chan," -here he looked at his wife- "-we can't back out on an act of fate, can we?"

She scowled at him. "Well, I can!"

"But it's soaking wet out here!"

"I'm willing to take that sacrifice!"

"Not if you want to be out here alone!"

"_Fine!"_

At this Inuyasha threw down the tinder and glared at all of them. "Can't all of you shut up for just _five minutes?!_ " he interrupted, jumping to his feet, looking disgruntled. "I say we just go there already! We're wet, we're miserable, and this sucks! So lead the way, Shippo!" he barked, pointing at the little fox-demon.

Kagome almost felt relieved when they all packed up to leave, heading in the direction that Shippo had indicated. Although she thought that Miroku had better watch it; going by the looks that Sango was giving him, he had better keep an eye out for the welfare of certain vital organs during the next few days... However, she had her own worries right about now. Especially since they would probably be sleeping indoors tonight. Doing that would make it all that much harder to avoid the currently bad-tempered Inuyasha.

Geez... It wasn't exactly a groundbreaking thought, as she had thought it often lately, but it seemed that her life really _really _sucked.

"Aaaaaaah, this is _much _better!" Miroku sighed happily, flinging his bags aside as he greedily eyed the heavily-laden table prepared for them and their heroic "efforts". "All in the day's work of a servant of Buddha!"

"You mean all in the day's work of a lying bungler," Sango muttered vindictively, just loudly enough for him to hear as she purposely sat in the spot directly across from him at the table.

"Ummmm...so how many of those wards did we put up, anyway?" Kagome asked her as she kneeled down herself, trying to alleviate the tension that seemed to be so rampant of late.

"Too many," was all that Sango would reply darkly as she picked up her pair of chopsticks.

They all began to eat in complete silence, with the friction still quite apparent between everyone. Damn...if there was anything Kagome hated, it was tension. And especially that tension that still seemed to be radiating towards her from Inuyasha's direction... Every now and then she caught his sienna orbs flickering towards her from across the table, scrutinizing her every move. She wondered at this, but figured that it was nothing more than his newly reawakened anger towards her. Though what she had done to deserve being his scapegoat was still a mystery.

She stared out the window as she continued to force down her rice, out at the still pouring rain. They were, she reflected, very lucky that they Shippo had found this manor; vicious forked lightning streaked down out of the black, rain-swollen clouds, and thunder rumbled ominously nearby. She was loath to imagine what would have happened even if Inuyasha HAD managed to start that fire. Not to mention that there was no way that he would have put his arm around her _this _time around... Errrr- not that she in any way would WANT him to anymore, of course---

"I trust that you are enjoying your stay so far?" The lord of the manor, a comely ebony-haired man in his mid-twenties, had swept into the room at some point, while she had been preoccupied. "Is there anything I can do for you all---seeing as you warded the evil spirits in such a timely manner?" he added, his gaze sweeping over them all (but for the most part resting on Sango, as Kagome uneasily noticed).

"Nope," Inuyasha replied through a mouthful of sushi.

"Nothing, thank you," Miroku said as well, though through gritted teeth (he, too, had been noticing the lord's appreciative gaze in Sango's direction).

"All right, then," the prince responded pleasantly, turning to leave. "I have another room made up for two or three of you as well, since it is so cramped in here. Oh---" -at this he turned around casually, as if having an afterthought- "And you, young lady," he added, nodding towards Sango. "You look quite familiar. Are you not one of the demon exterminators from the village of Kyobe?"

Sango looked taken aback, but nodded. "Yes," she replied quietly, suddenly aware of his roving eyes.

He nodded. "I thought as much. A shame that our scouts found your village as sacked and destroyed as it was four years ago." He paused uncomfortably. "But I do remember you," he started again, seemingly more confident. "You and your group exterminated a nest of demons plaguing our region a few years ago. And, as you know, your bloodline is a very strong one, and seeing as you are now without family and that I am also looking for a wife..." He looked at Sango meaningfully, apparently unaware of the livid gasp coming from Miroku's direction.

"I am sorry, but I am already spoken for," Sango responded simply. "And I love my husband very much, although he can be an idiot at times." She took a moment to shoot Miroku a very pointed look.

The silence became even more uncomfortable and pronounced after the prince apologized and speedily made an exit. In fact, it forced Kagome to retreat to the darkest corner as soon as her rice had been sufficiently picked through. Wrapped securely in a blanket, she watched as everyone else, one-by-one, all did the same, all of them going into their little islands of isolation, looking either angry or forlorn. She couldn't, although having scolded herself about twenty thousand times, help but stare out at Inuyasha with hooded eyes. There he was, sitting against the wall with his long legs stretched out, an annoyed scowl pasted on his face... His cute doggy ears twitched in irritation, and his long silver hair tumbled far down his

back---

Oops. She had done it again.

However, her attention was quickly diverted when she heard some hushed whispering coming from the corner neighboring hers. She turned her head only to see that Sango had tentatively approached Miroku, who was sitting there cross-legged, looking royally pissed. "Come to bed in the other room, Houshi-sama," she breathed, kneeling down next to him.

"No," came the peeved reply.

"Are you certain?" she pressed, beginning to massage his shoulders lightly.

"Positive," he said stonily as he jerked away from her.

"You know, I did not _ask _that man to say that," she continued, letting her hands fall to her lap forlornly. "So I wonder at why you fault me."

"Perhaps you didn't _ask, _but maybe you _wanted _him to!"

Sango looked stunned at his accusation but managed to compose herself. "Why would I want him to?" she asked him calmly after a moment, getting up to leave. "He's not you. He's not strikingly handsome, he hasn't given me a beautiful daughter, and above all I'm sure he's not particularly good in the-" Luckily Kagome couldn't catch the rest of this, as Sango had leant over to whisper this last part in his ear.

"Now I'm only saying this once more, Miroku: come to bed," she added with a tone of finality, kissing his reddening cheek and heading for the door.

Miroku obviously needed no second bidding. He exited the room with surprising speed, obviously rather pleased with Sango's heavy hinting. Kagome sighed as she shifted position within her cozy cocoon of blankets. She supposed that tomorrow morning would dawn bright and sunny, and they would both pop out relaxed, well-rested (ha-ha), and extremely happy, having both gotten what they wanted. Unlike her.

"Damn wishy-washy crap," she heard Inuyasha spit from the opposite side of the room. "Yuck! And great. Just great. Now instead of leaving early in the morning I get to watch them _screw _for two hours."

Kagome's mouth tightened as she heard his bitter comment; not at the comment itself but at what Miroku and Sango's little joy ride of love really meant for her. _(Wonderful. How wonderful,) _she thought as her eyes swept across the room, finally resting on Shippo, who had long since slumped across the still half-laden table, snoring uproariously. Now she was completely alone with Inuyasha.

Yes, completely and utterly alone with him. Alone and unprotected. For the first time since before she had left. Had Sango realized what she had just _done_?! No, she reflected, probably not. She was probably too busy doing God-Only-Knows-What to Miroku in that other room. And that in itself wasn't an altogether warm fuzzy thought.

Sighing heavily, she slumped down into a reclining position with her blankets still wrapped around her, watching the candle on the opposite side of the room sputter wildly for its life as it got closer and closer to burning out. Although her roving eyes eventually went slightly to the right to catch a glimpse of Inuyasha... Luckily, he wasn't moving or looking at her. He was still looking quite irked, with his head slumped dejectedly against the wall. One of his hands was restlessly playing with the hilt of the Tetsusaiga, which he still wore within the waistband of his belt, and the other was lightly massaging his slender neck. As if in a trance Kagome watched as it slowly went down his body, eventually tucking itself within the folds of his haori where his chest steadily rose and fell. Damn, she had always wondered what exactly was under that thing...he rarely undressed in front of anyone, much less her. She supposed, her heart sinking, that Kikyo probably knew the answer to that... Argh, WHY was she thinking about this?! This wasn't funny, for crying out loud! Any minute he could start making fun of her weakness, taunting her for thinking that he preferred her over Kikyo! Or he could start verbally bashing her like earlier today... But that, she mused, might be all right... The thought of him yelling at her, for some reason, seemed to be oddly arousing---

"_What?!_" She jumped as his taut interjection snapped her back to reality. She glared at him angrily, but it only elicited another "_What?!_" and caused her to grit her teeth in frustration.

"What do you mean, _what?!_" she snapped, feeling her cheeks redden as she raised her head to look him square in the eye.

"You've been staring at me for the past two minutes!" he growled, twitching his ears agitatedly. "What, am I so good-looking that you can't take your eyes off me or something?!"

"Don't flatter yourself," she replied coldly.

He let out a low snarl, turning a rather interesting shade of purple himself.

"But I suppose you know all about flattery, Inuyasha," she spat, getting onto her elbows, "since you're so big-headed all the time, thinking that everything and everyone revolves around _you_! You're so selfish!"

"Are you calling ME selfish?!" His voice got higher and higher with every word. "What about YOU?! YOU'RE the one who took off and left us all in the dust! You abandoned your duty! Look how everything turned out because of you! And you're calling me SELFISH?!"

"You just don't GET it, do you, you asshole?!"

"Get _what?! "_

"WHY I left!" Kagome screamed, her eyes blazing with fury. "_WHY _I couldn't continue! I have my pride, you know, Inuyasha!"

"No, you're being _selfish_!" he persisted hotly.

"What would YOU know about doing things for others?! Huh?! For crying out loud, you only want the Sacred Jewel to become a full-fledged demon who might even kill us when it's all over! And you call _that_ selfless?!"

"Then how about being loyal?! Goddamn it, Kagome, you can't just-"

"Well, what about YOU?!" Kagome interrupted. "Loyal---that's honestly the _last _thing you are! And what's worse is that you don't CARE! You don't _CARE_! I - it's obvious!" Here her voice choked, and she quickly dove under the covers, the rest of her speech coming out in a shrill, wavery voice. "J-just shut up and leave me alone, you jerk! I hate you! I don't want to talk to you!" From then on the conversation was officially over.

The tempestuous night slowly rolled on, with rain being unleashed in torrents and vicious lightning streaking down out of the bloated skies. Eventually Kagome's ragged breathing became slow and regular as she fell into the blissful confines of slumber, being safe and dry in the elegant manor and rolled up within a snug roll of coverlets. However angry and confused she was, she was still exhausted. Even Inuyasha being in close quarters with her wasn't enough to keep her alert.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, stayed up for a very long time. His knees drawn up to his chest ruminatively, he watched as the lightning outside grew fainter, and as the steady stream of rain eventually slowed to a trickle. Although it was getting late and it was very unlikely that even Miroku and Sango were even still awake, still he continued to sit there, as the candles in the room gradually burned out and the room was plunged into a soft darkness.

His sensitive ears pricked up as he caught the sound of Kagome's shallow breathing. _(She's asleep,) _he thought to himself, grunting slightly as he stood and padded across towards her. He stared down at her sleeping form, at her rising and falling chest. A chest that held some very pert white breasts, if he wasn't severely mistaken... That alone was already enough to get him---ergh, he'd best not think about it. Instead he stared upwards, at her peaceful, relaxed face, and at her silky black locks, which spilled out luxuriously over the top of the covers. Almost as if he couldn't help it, his hand tentatively reached towards those locks...

"Kagome," he murmured as his hand slowly stroked her soft hair, which sent shivers up his spine.

A/N: Again, I must warn you: the next time you see this fic it will be slapped with an R rating, for -well- you'll see. Better be safe than sorry, right? Anyway, if you find this fic by using the main page you should now use the R or All Ratings filter. Sighs I've been writing fics for some time now (on another account, of course), but I've never had an R rated one until now. It's basically touch and go for me.

Review replies:

AngelOfLight: Yeah, I did the waiting thing with Inuyasha on purpose. The battle scene would have been much different if he had been around to protect the village, and I needed them to almost lose for a reason. I also really didn't want to rush it with him and Kagome, especially since I wanted to give some attention to Miroku and Sango's relationship.

inuyashas girl: Hopefully he does...problem is, there was much much more to it than what Kagome saw! :)

Tigerchick: I'm not positive about the amount of fanart there, but I know a really good website where you can find anime screenshots of all the characters, including Kagome and Kikyo. The site is It has everything you could possibly want to know about Inuyasha, trust me! :)

Third-Reincarnation: Thanks for the critique earlier. This story's kinda my baby, and if there's something wrong with it I like to get it fixed as quickly as possible. I'm trying to get the characters to think a little more, though I'm really wary about doing that with Inuyasha, since he's keeping a couple of secrets from everyone. ;)

earthshine411: I SO agree. I get totally turned off when I see Inuyasha and Kagome screaming "let's make a baby!" by chapter three after a totally debilitating argument. Then again, what I did in chapter one wasn't much better...

Also thank you to mish-sernity, Demoness Tsukara, ChibiKenshin6490, SakuraBaby, MyNameIs Rini, Carly, Moonmage (cool name!), kj-kagome, kagome-1990, Chione, for your reviews and support! :)

And yeah, I really did feel better when I got a lot more reviews this time. I really had no idea how many people were reading; there's no hit counts on this site unless you pay! Please review again (criticism welcome, especially); the more reviews, the more likely I'll update on schedule (which is roughly every week, towards the weekend). Thanx!


	8. Lust

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not owned by _moi._

Summary: Now for a little fun! :) Despite what he says about Kagome, Inuyasha is having quite a hard time not reacting to her fiesty, stubborn charms...

Kagome groaned feebly as a ray of strong sunlight hit her right cheek. Opening one crusty, bleary eye that immediately snapped itself back shut, she slowly rolled over onto her other side as the wave of realization suddenly hit her and what had been going on for the past three days unfortunately dawned upon her once more.

The room, now infused with rays from the cheery morning sun, lit up a scene that was reminiscent of her brother Sota's room. Blankets and bags littered the area, looking much like a war had occurred throughout the course of the night. The table of half-eaten food stood in the center, over which Shippo, snoring uproariously, was still slumped. And, last but not least, in the opposite corner lay an unpleasantly familiar figure, his back turned towards her...

"Inuyasha," she muttered crossly, her sleep-filled eyes narrowing in anger as she remembered the previous night's exchange. The look of hatred that had been etched onto his features, the hardness in his eyes...without a doubt it seemed that he was even angrier at her than she was at him. But _why? _What had she _done_, other than to leave him to his pursuits with Kikyo? Hadn't she done him a favor, finally letting him alone when she had been so obviously smitten with him earlier? He probably just thought of her as some annoying girl who meant absolutely nothing to him, when it all came down to it...

Sighing darkly, she roused herself out of bed, crossing the room to take a look outside. What she saw, for some reason, depressed her even more. It was the beginnings of an absolutely beautiful summer day outside. The sun shined brightly out over the greening fields, which were looking especially lush and vibrant after the recent rains. Everyone was bustling around outside; even the rustic looking peasants of the locale doing their daily menial work seemed happy and even-tempered.

"Urghh, _damn _it," she murmured vehemently, turning away quickly and promptly somehow managing to trip over an ill-placed bedroll. She fell to her knees with a thump, inwardly groaning as the silver, tousled head nearby immediately stirred groggily.

"Dammit, _why _do you have to make so much noise in the morning, woman?" Inuyasha spat a moment later, glaring at her indignantly. "You're as loud as a damn army!"

Remembering what had transpired last night, Kagome did her best to give off the air of having just found something sticky and unpleasant on the sole of her shoe. "_Excuse _me?!" she demanded, glaring at him back.

"Just what I said," he muttered viciously, looking away as a few tinges of red began to appear on his cheeks. Somehow he had just now noticed that Kagome was standing right over him, only in her white cotton shift, which she customarily wore when sleeping indoors. Her hair was looking wonderfully tangled and disheveled this morning, and the flimsy material clung tightly against her curvaceous hips--- "Why do you hafta be so goddamn annoying all the time, anyway?!" he managed to choke out after a moment, conveniently managing to cover himself up with a brightly-woven throw as he felt the beginnings of a hard-on taking over his lower body.

"Me?!" Kagome shot back, leaning right over him, her face contorted in anger. "What about YOU, you pig?! You're the one who started this stupid conversation in the first place!"

Inuyasha, by this time, was about to go insane with arousal. Those long white legs, those chocolate brown eyes, those silky ebony locks that smelt of sweetly-scented tulips--- "Go away!" he shouted irately, trying his hardest to ignore the fact that his own self-contrived vision of loveliness was leaning right over him (and also the rebellious motions of his own body).

"Gladly!" She crossed the room in one quick stride, but turned around a moment later and ordered him haughtily, "But YOU'RE going to wake up Miroku and Sango so we can get out of here before tonight!"

"Oh, I'M going to do it?!"

"Yes, you are! I'm not going in there to watch them - watch them -" -she, frustrated, gestured wildly at him- "Oh, just go and do it! Can't you do ANYTHING for a lady?!"

"You're not a lady, just an annoying _twit_!" Inuyasha retorted, but nevertheless stood up anyway (blanket still tightly encircled around his middle, of course). He left the room in a huff, getting very creative with the curse words as he did so.

He slid open the double doors to Miroku and Sango's room with a bang, scowling as he watched them both lazily yawn and move closer together. "What are you doing, you morons?!" he screeched in their faces. "We hafta go! _NOW_!"

His ears twitched irately as he watched Miroku's bare arm stretch out from underneath the covers. "Whuzzuh all the trouble now, Inu-_yaaaaaaaaaaaa_-zaaaaa?" he yawned, staring out at him from under half-closed eyes.

__

"YOU!" was the peeved reply. "Can't the two of you stop being gross _just for once_ when we hafta do something important?! You're disgusting!"

"Mmmmmmmmmm..." Miroku just rolled over towards Sango and refused to say a word more. However, Inuyasha was not one to roll over and die. He continued to stand, arms defiantly crossed, as the minutes slowly passed, not moving and barely even breathing. Finally...

"Are you cold, Inuyasha?" Miroku's eye peeped out from under the blanket.

"_What?!"_

"Are you cold? I've never seen you wearing a blanket before."

Instinctively looking down, Inuyasha turned scarlet and scowled at him. "Shut up!" he snapped, wrapping the blanket more tightly around him as he once again began to be painfully aware of the fact that his body was still reacting to Kagome's charms (or rather lack thereof).

Miroku's eyebrows furrowed. "Did I hit a nerve, Inuyasha? Or are you just being your grumpy old self?" Suddenly he smiled wickedly. "Oh, I know! You had another fight with Kagome, didn't you?"

"Really, Inuyasha!" Sango put forth, glaring at the half-demon dangerously. "Don't you know how to take a hint sometimes?! Why can't you leave the poor girl alo---_hey!_" she shrieked furiously at Miroku, slapping his hand (or at least we hope it was his hand) somewhere under the covers.

"So disrespectful, Sango-chan!" Miroku murmured, lightly kissing her cheek. "Why can't you just be like you were last ni-"

"_Enough_!" Inuyasha screeched, stamping his foot so vehemently that the blanket almost slipped dangerously. "Just get up and get some goddamn clothes on so we can be out of this dump within an hour!"

Miroku shook his head sadly as he watched Inuyasha's retreating back. "Some people can just be so angry when they're not getting any, am I right, Sango-chan?" he put forth in mild amusement.

"So from which direction does the nearest jewel shard resonate, Kagome?" Miroku asked as they all stepped lightly out into the balmy morning sun about an hour later.

"Still due north," Kagome replied sullenly, shouldering her backpack as her eyes began to adjust to the glaring light.

Miroku sighed despondently. "It seems as if we must climb the mountains today..."

"No shit," Inuyasha retorted (now, luckily, minus the throw), vaguely gesturing towards the iron gray mountain peaks towering less than a mile over the manor. "Any other blatantly obvious things we don't know, Miroku?!"

Sango, whose actions often spoke louder than words, gave both of them dirty looks. "Looks like it's going to be a loooooooooong day," she muttered to Kagome out of the side of her mouth as the group slowly made their way towards the gate, Miroku and Inuyasha still picking at each other vehemently.

"Tell me about it," Kagome replied dejectedly, her eyes fixed on the lily strewn grass below her.

"Tell me..." Sango's voice was steady, yet belied the worry that was hidden underneath. "Did something happen with you and Inuyasha last night? Did he-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

The other woman moaned, "Oh, I knew it! I'm sorry, Kagome, I---"

"It's all right," she replied quietly. "Really."

"It's just that I knew I had to mend things with Miroku, and we also hadn't had the opportunity to -you know- in awhi-"

"It's fine, Sango."

"No, but I should have not left you alone!" Sango replied miserably in a hushed tone. "You're vulnerable right now, and Inuyasha especially will take advantage of i-"

"I said I'm fine!" Kagome put forth vehemently, speeding up to get away from her. Miroku and Inuyasha, having finally heard this last outburst, both looked back at the scene with raised eyebrows.

__

(I hate this,) Kagome thought, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink as she became aware that all eyes were currently on her. _(I hate this era, I hate the jewel shards, I hate Kikyo, I even hate myself this morning. And most of all I hate YOU, Inuyasha! Even though you always were an asshole and still are, I can't get you out of my mind!) _Gritting her teeth at this last thought, she looked upwards only to see Inuyasha still walking ahead, still glancing at her over his shoulder. The look was very brief, but was enough to tell her a lot before he narrowed his eyes and looked away haughtily. _(I know you hate me, but WHY? Was it because I was in love with you? I just don't know...)_

"We're stopping NOW, Inuyasha!"

"No, we're not!"

"We've been walking all day! We're stopping!"

"I said NO!"

"Well, I say YES!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

Kagome and the others stood impatiently as they watched Inuyasha and Shippo argue for what must have been the fifth time that day. Now halfway up to the pass going over the mountains, they were currently in a wooded plateau some few thousand feet above the emerald fields below. The sun, wreathed in brilliant shades of gold, crimson, and violet, could just barely be seen through the gaps in the trees, signifying the length of time that they had been climbing. False trails, dead ends, the lack of a road...it seemed that Murphy's Law had struck that day, even for Inuyasha and Kirara, who normally would have just been able to swiftly bound up the slopes had it not been for the trees and the steepness of the peaks themselves. Everyone at the moment was exhausted, cranky, and sore, even (although he would never admit it in a million years) Inuyasha himself.

Miroku rolled his eyes and glanced at the two girls as the war escalated. "Dammit, I wish someone would just _win_ this argument already," he said in an annoyed voice. "Even climbing the mountains all night would be preferable to _this._"

"Come on, Inuyasha! Have a heart! We can't go on like this all night!" Shippo stared at the half-demon pleadingly, crocodile tears brimming dramatically in his round eyes.

"_No_!" Inuyasha snapped. "We don't have TIME, you little moron! Any moment now Naraku could get all the shards and then we'd ALL be screwed!"

Shippo turned to look at the others angstfully. "Come on, you guys! Talk some sense into him, won'tcha?! I'm sure you guys don't wanna walk forever either!"

"Just listen to him, Inuyasha," Sango put forth crisply. "We've been walking since early morning, we're all exhausted, and there's no way that any of us will be able to function tomorrow if we walk all night."

It suddenly became apparent to Inuyasha that he was definitely outnumbered on this one. "Oh, all right," he relented, making a big show of rolling his eyes as he did so. "Just remember that we're getting up at sunrise and walking all day tomorrow, whether you like it or not!"

"Yes, boss," Kagome muttered out of the side of her mouth as he trounced off to find wood for a campfire. She could have sworn that his ears perked up as he retreated, but she just scowled and unzipped her backpack. If he wanted to be so disagreeable and obstinate, then that was _his _problem. She wasn't going to fall prey to his petty little wants anymore. Although, she reflected, that his arrogance and air of dominance had been what had attracted her to him in the first place... In fact, she'd even go to say that it was strangely arousing---

"_Eugh_!" she groaned when she realized what she had been thinking. How could she think that _anything _about Inuyasha was arousing, especially after what had happened? Although she _had_, more often than not, thought about him in that way (and especially of late). About those taut, well-formed muscles that were probably hidden under his garb... About the perplexed scowl that seemed to be permanently etched onto his face... And about that long, silky hair brushing against her---

"_Eugh_ what, Kagome?" Sango's curiosity-filled voice suddenly broke through her musings, causing her to start slightly.

Kagome immediately blushed violently, but she managed to squeak out, "Eugh -ah- I was just thinking about how -uh- how we all need a good bath!" She laughed in a rather high-pitched manner as she combed through her hair as if to brush out imaginary dirt flecks. "I mean, look at us! We're all filthy!"

Sango looked down at her own dirt-streaked robe. "I can definitely vouch for that, Kagome. However..." She trailed off for a moment, apparently thinking hard. "But what about that stream we passed by earlier in the day? It was going in our general direction, and..."

"And I bet it's not far!" Kagome smiled brilliantly (from relief more than anything else, truth be told), pointing south towards a more thickly wooded area. She tugged at her friend's arm. "C'mon, let's go!"

"All right, then," Sango concurred amiably, throwing her pack down to rid herself of the burden. She turned around to face Miroku and Shippo, who had been standing nearby watching interestedly. "We'll be back in about an hour---tell Inuyasha where we are. And Miroku, I want absolutely _no_-" -here she glared at him threateningly- "absolutely _no _peep shows!"

Miroku, as always, feigned innocence. "But why," he put forth mournfully, "would I do such a thing in the first place, Sango-chan?"

"Just shut it, Miroku," she retorted as she guided Kagome towards the cluster of trees.

Inuyasha was so angry that he lobbed his bundle of firewood onto the forest floor. "_What_?!" he growled at Miroku ferociously, the spit flying out of his mouth like a geyser. "You let them do _what_?!"

Miroku, calmly sitting under a spreading oak, objected mildly, "They just went to wash in the stream, Inuyasha. It's not as if they're in mortal peri---"

"Oh, shut up, monk!" was the agitated reply. "You don't know! There could be _anything _out there---demons, monsters, even Naraku's minions!" He shoved his face so close to Miroku's that the monk could literally see his own reflection in the angry sienna pools. "I can't believe you did that!"

"Well, they didn't want me peeping!" was the meek protest.

"But _still_! You _know_ that Kagome can't defend herself very well, and that _I _like to make sure that-" The half-demon stopped short, immediately recognizing the type of grin spreading across Miroku's face. "It's not like that!" he bellowed like a bull moose, becoming redder and redder as he realized his slip. "We need her to regain the jewel shards, and nothing else! Get your mind out of the goddamn gutter! _Arrrrghhhhhh_, that's IT!" he finally proclaimed, stomping off towards the stream. "I'm gonna go find them, naked or not!"

Miroku stared as he watched him depart, briefly hindered by tripping over a slumbering Kirala. "Damn, he's got it bad," he muttered to himself, as he carved small, intricate hearts into the dirt with his staff. "Wish_ I _could think up good excuses to see them naked like he can..."

Kagome and Sango, having found a moderately deep stretch of water, were by now very naked indeed. Both girls sighing happily as they welcomed the prospect of clean hair and the wonderful feel of warm water, they hung their clothes over a low tree branch that stuck over the stream bank and splashed right in.

"This is great," Kagome commented cheerfully as she leaned her dark head backwards into the still sun-warmed waters. "For a minute there I was thinking that things actually lived in my hair!"

Sango nodded in agreement as she combed through her saturated hair with her long fingers. "Yes...it _is _nice for us to just lay back and relax for the night, what with Inuyasha being the slavedriver and everyth-" Catching the disgruntled look on Kagome's face, she stopped short abruptly right then and there. "I'm sorry," she added quietly, looking her friend keenly in the eye. "I'm sure that he's the last thing you want to talk about."

"Damn straight," Kagome muttered in reply (though more to herself than to Sango), turning away as her eyes scanned the murky woodland on the northern bank. It was, by this time, well on into dusk, and the surrounding darkness was gathering densely among the trees. It seemed a little unnerving, to tell the truth... Most of the time, she recalled, that whenever she had gone off without Inuyasha, she had always ended up in trouble. Not to mention none of them had any idea concerning Naraku's recent actions yet... _(Oh, screw it,) _she thought irately, shaking the droplets out of her soaked hair like a wet dog. _(Like he'd ever save me anyway.)_

"Want to borrow my soap?" she asked Sango sweetly, offering the lavender-scented bar towards her friend.

as

"Dammit, dammit, _dammit_!" Inuyasha yowled (the last dammit being emphasized in response to the large branch he had just tripped over). "Where is she?! Where the hell _is _she?!" Looking around frantically as he hurried through the underbrush, he tried to swallow down the feeling of increasing panic that coursed throughout him.

"C'mon, you little twit!" he snarled vehemently as he thrashed his way through a prickly bush. "Where the goddamn hell are you?! Running off like that; you'd better damn well start praying that I don't punish y-" He cut that thought off right then and there, reddening into an interesting shade of crimson, really knowing full well what he had actually meant by "punish". _(Goddammit, I'm getting to be like that Miroku! I never thought that way about her before! ...Well, maybe I did, but still, nothing I ever thought was THAT sick. She WAS too young, after all...) _His keen scent registering the earthy smell of freshwater nearby, he continued on in the indicated direction. Miroku had mentioned something qqqqqqqqq2a it was his complete intention to find it.

He stumbled upon the area quite by accident, as the result of looking everywhere but straight ahead. Having thrashed through an exceptionally large thicket of undergrowth, he blinked as the trees abruptly ended and a broad, rushing mountain stream opened up before him. And there, right in the middle of that broad, rushing mountain stream, stood the very person he was looking for---completely naked.

"_Shit!_" he hissed vehemently, quickly ducking down behind a large, leafy growth that overlooked the stream's bank. Kagome had been looking in his direction when he had caught sight of her, and if she managed to catch sight of _him_, well, he was probably as good as dead. He found himself praying to whatever higher deity there was above that she would _not _catch a glimpse of his conspicuous, fire-engine red ensemble if her eyes idled towards the bush...

Shock, however, slowly ebbed away to relief as time went on and neither Kagome nor Sango (who was further away from him but still too close for comfort) carried on with washing and quietly talking amongst themselves. As he continued to crouch amongst the bushes, Inuyasha eventually found that the knot which had previously been wound tightly within his chest was beginning to unravel. _(Good, she's safe, then. I would have NEVER forgiven myself if something happened to her while she was out of my si-) _He rolled his eyes, having fully realized the thought. _(Oh man, do I HAVE to go through this every five minutes?! I do NOT like Kagome that way! There's no way in hell! She's whiny and argumentative and nagging and ---and- absolutely...beautiful,) _he concluded as his eyes, savoring the beauty standing before him, slowly trailed down her delicate, fragile body, which showed completely from the waist up.

__

(I- I never noticed her like this before...) he marveled on as he watched her apply soap to her arms as she laughed at something Sango had said. His eyes felt ready to explode, there was so much at a time to stare at... That silky ebony hair, slick and wet from the streamwater... Her small, pert breasts, exposed in the fresh night air seemingly for his own viewing pleasure... Not to mention those glistening chocolate brown eyes...it seemed to take every bit of his willpower to not just jump in there by her. He moaned softly as his lower body gave an unpleasantly familiar lurch in reaction to the wonderful sight in front of him. _(HOW can she do this to me?! I'm a half-demon, for Chrissakes! First she comes back when I think I'm finally rid of her, and THEN she starts using her own new torture method to boot!)_

How long he stared at his ideal epitome of gorgeousness he had no idea, but his peep session came abruptly to an end as an unpleasantly familiar voice whispered into his ear, "Whoa there, Inuyasha! Don't allow something other than your brain to do the thinking!"

Inuyasha, having been caught red-handed (literally), gave a jump and a startled hiss, only to find that crouching next to him was none other than one of his traveling companions. _"Miroku_!" he growled under his breath, grabbing the hapless monk's shoulder with sharp fingernails. "Don't you _dare _tell anyone about this!"

Miroku shrugged. "Why would I? I do this all the time. But a word to the wise, Inuyasha," he added sagely, gesturing towards the dog-demon's bright red ensemble. "You really ought to start wearing robes like mine. _That _way, when you're doing this, if you're caught the girls will have a harder time seeing what you're d-"

This almost caused Inuyasha to go catatonic. "Shut _up!_" he rumbled ferociously (or as ferociously one could get while trying to keep one's voice unheard). "I'm not constantly whacking off like you, you pervert!"

Miroku just chuckled knowingly, as if having come to a certain conclusion at last. "Pretty, isn't she?" he added after a moment, nodding towards Kagome.

"What's it to you?!" Inuyasha replied scathingly. "And for the record, I happen to _hate _Kagome!"

"_My_ rule, my friend, is that looking does not hurt as long as you don't touch. But as for you, Inuyasha, I can tell that you're lying..."

The half-demon snorted. "Why would I lie? I don't want her, never have, and never will! I'm glad that I finally got rid of her three years ago, and I wish she would have never come back!" (Though these happened to be big, boastful words for someone who currently had both eyes on the girl in question, who at the moment was raising both arms up into the sky and giving him a very ample view of her chest).

"I'm not an idiot, Inuyasha," Miroku responded seriously. "I see what I see. Granted that you've made a few mistakes concerning your past -er- affairs, I still believe that with a little finesse you could mend this once and for all. Your demeanor is totally different around Kagome than yours ever was around Kikyo, and-"

He was silenced by Inuyasha's claws closing in around his arm. "Never mention her again!" he growled viciously at the monk, his eyes blazing with fury. "If I had _wanted _things to have happened differently, then I would have done just that! Now shut your pie hole and quit spouting off things that you know damn well aren't true!"

Miroku sighed as he pulled his arm out of reach. "Then I suppose I'll have to do just that," he said resignedly, turning his head back towards the two girls. "But just remember, Inuyasha: she incorrectly believes that you loathe her. You have to make a move soon, or you'll lose her forever. Though perhaps that may be for the best, as you don't seem to deserve her in the first place..." He gave his stubborn friend a meaningful look, but he responded only by gritting his teeth. "Well," the monk went on, "I suppose it would be fitting to just keep on peeping..." He shook his head regretfully, wriggling further into the bushes in order to get a better view. "What a disappointment. If only we could locate their clothes, then we could-"

It had dawned upon Inuyasha slowly, but his reaction was no less furious. "Hey!" he cut in, once again grabbing the monk's arm. "I don't care about how much you ogle your wife, but when it's Kagome that you're looking at---" He stood up, his tall, lithe form towering over Miroku's menacingly.

"Well, _you're _doing i-"

"Well, I'm not _married _either, you perve-" Suddenly Miroku's arm managed to tug itself away, catching Inuyasha off balance and causing him to fall sideways through the bushes and into the stream with a loud splash.

"Aaaaaagh!" screeched Kagome, dropping the bar of soap and allowing it to float several yards downstream. "What is THAT?!"

Sango's eyes widened, grabbing Kagome's shoulder as she slowly backed away from the mysterious sound. "I don't know, but it sure seemed big. Maybe it's---maybe it's-" -this was when a sodden, silver-haired head that was constantly spewing creative cuss words popped out of the water -"-Inuyasha!"

"_What_?!" was the disgruntled reply.

This was just too much for Kagome. Giving the dog-demon a startled look for a split second, she then dashed out of the stream, up the bank, and back into the forest (which was now completely dark for the coming night), screaming at the top of her lungs as she did so.

A/N: And there we go! I hope that you weren't expecting more with the R rating, but I had to be cautious and bump it up. Fics are getting deleted right and left in the bigger categories, and I don't want mine to be yet another casualty.

Next chapter we pick up with the plot again. Though I really liked these last two chapters, kinda little interludes...

earthshine411: Er - yes - as a matter of fact, you _will _be seeing quite a bit of Kouga. Starting in chapter eleven, I believe.

ArayaDragonMistress: Hm, well, I'm really sorry but I can't tell you much about claypot at the moment. This is an Inuyasha/Kagome fic, though, so I can guarantee you that she won't be spiriting Inuyasha away anytime soon!

And of course...thank you to the rest of you: kagome (I DID reply to your e-mail), Shiroi senshi, Aoi senshi, SakuraBaby, mish-sernity, MyNameIs Rini, AngelOfLight, XxDemonic-PrincessxX, and ChibiKenshin6490 .

And now...I must beg you for the Almighty Review! Seriously, even if it's a "good fic, please continue". Of course, I prefer the reviews that tell me exactly what I do good or bad, but either way...review!

__


	9. Gloom

Disclaimer: Unfortunate as it is, I do not own Inuyasha.

Author's Note: Again, thank you for all the reviews! :) Finally, in this chapter we delve a little more into the plot.

Cliched lime dead ahead! You'll either love me or hate me after this...

The night was dark, but Kagome weaved her way through the tangled undergrowth impeccably, almost as if she had navigated her path many times before. Through vines, through leaves, through the dew-filled grass she snuck, taking especial care to not make a sound. She had no idea where her destination might be, but what she did definitely know was that it would be revealed to her when she arrived.

Past another deeply-rooted tree, branches sighing mournfully in the wind, through another prickly bush, whose thorns scratched her skin unmercifully, through yet another clearing, quiet and peaceful under the watchful eye of the growing moon. Step-by-step...step-by-step she drew closer, the anticipation growing within her like a swelling crescendo...

Without warning the trees abruptly ended and suddenly she found herself out in the open, out again by the stream. It peacefully flowed through the tree-studded mountains, enveloped by the velvety black night sky, dotted by stars that glinted like tiny little diamonds. The sky, however beautiful it was, though, was not what was predominant on Kagome's mind...

There he was, completely naked, standing near a rock in the middle of the stream. The water completely covered his body from the waist up, but Kagome was provided no less tantalizing a view than had it not... His hair, slick and wet and sticking to his back, shone an unusually metallic silver as it glimmered under the waxing moon... And his slender form, which was clearly perceptible as he stretched his arms toward the night sky; though he was half-covered in darkness, it was still enough to send tremors down Kagome's spine...

She was too slow to react when suddenly he inclined his head in her direction and looked straight at her. She almost ran right then and there, but before the thought even registered within her mind Inuyasha smirked and dictated to her calmly, "Come in and join me, Kagome..."

Another violent tremor made its way down Kagome's spine. Looking at the half-demon in absolute disbelief, she somehow managed to stutter, "M-me? You want me?"

"Did I say anyone else?" The cool question floated back towards her weightlessly.

With great trepidation, Kagome slowly climbed her way down the bank and into the translucent, cool water, wading her way at a snail's pace towards the object of her affection. He said nothing, just continued to smirk as he towered over her more and more with each step...

"Not hasty, are you?" he murmured into her ear as he pressed her up against him, his arms locking around her securely. "Think we'll have to change that, won't we?" he added huskily as his lips softly nudged the spot below her ear.

Kagome wanted to struggle, she wanted to run away, but all willpower that she might have had before trickled away like rain off of eaves. She moaned torturedly as he continued on with kissing her neck, eventually working his way up to her mouth. She didn't even protest when he one-handedly removed her customary nightdress, now completely soaked with a combination of the streamwater and her sweat, throwing it onto the rock nearby.

The feel of his hard, wet body against hers was true euphoria, the feel of his soaked hair, the feeling of his lips as they streaked their way across her collarbone... This was what she had been waiting for, waiting for forever, to finally win his affection, for which she had strived for so long...

"Just hurry up," Kagome breathed raggedly as he paid special attention to the nape of her neck. "You're keeping me waiting again, Inuyasha, just like you always do..."

He continued on with his ministrations with a heated fervor, his kisses growing more intense and passionate as each second ticked by. Kagome did nothing to protest as he slowly arched her body backwards, pushing her roughly against the nearby rock as he went on to the culmination of the proceedings...

"INUYASHA!" she shrieked as she snapped back into the waking world, sitting bolt upright in her snug cocoon of blankets. Looking around dazedly as her eyes focused in and out of view, revealing not a sultry, glittering river in twilight but dull green undergrowth and rocky ground bathed in dappled morning sunlight, she groaned as she realized what had happened.

"It was just a dream," she attempted to mutter to herself in consolation. "Just a dream...Honestly, doing that with Inuyasha is about the _last _thing I'd want to do now." Which was what her brain was saying, at any rate. Her heart, on the other hand, was beating rapidly and her skin was flushed and sweaty. _(Dammit,) _she thought desperately, _(HOW does he continue to affect me like that?)_

She went on to stare at her surroundings, which, luckily, were abandoned. The fire was now nothing but a pile of cindery ashes and all of the bedrolls nearby were upset but unoccupied. Kagome wondered momentarily where everyone could have gone off to, but she decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth, as screaming Inuyasha's name probably wasn't exactly the best thing to be doing in front of other people, and especially if it was in front of Inuyasha himself.

No sooner had she thought this than she suddenly heard a great trampling in the undergrowth nearby. She barely had time to react before Inuyasha popped out of the bushes, looking harried and also, not surprisingly, as if he currently had a large twig rammed up his ass. "_What_?!" he growled at her impatiently, looking around the clearing as if he had expected demons of death or some other monstrosity.

"What do you _mean, _what?!" Kagome retorted in a strained voice, painfully aware that color was violently rising within her cheeks. She had, after all, been dreaming just minutes ago that the extremely disgruntled half-youkai in front of her had been getting ready to have mind-blowing sex with her...

"Well, you were screaming my name like a damn banshee a minute ago!" Inuyasha spat angrily, throwing up his arms in exasperation. "You mean to say that you're not in trouble, that you made me run all the way here for nothing?!"

Kagome, turning an even more violent shade of red, gritted her teeth. "_No_," she replied coldly, suddenly remembering what he had done to her the previous night. "_You're _the one in trouble!" She jumped to her feet, glaring daggers at the now confused-looking half-demon. "_You _ought to apologize for last night, you pervert!"

"_Why_?!" was the outraged answer. "What makes you think I was looking at you anyway?! You have absolutely nothing worth _looking at_!"

"Well, if I'm not well-endowed enough for you then you shouldn't be LOOKING!" Kagome screeched, her willpower almost exhausted as she tried her absolute hardest to not stroke his face--er---strike his face, as it was now hovering just inches away from hers.

"Well, YOU shouldn't be going off by yourself!" Inuyasha screeched in an equally loud voice, inwardly praying to every higher deity present that he would NOT get hot and bothered yet again from all the current electricity. It seemed to him that it happened the most when he was arguing with her...but damned if he'd ever admit that he had been watching out for her. That was almost as bad as her seeing him getting aroused from the whole thing in the first place.

"Oh, and what does THAT have to do with anything?! I'll have you know that-" He just stood and stared as her lips appeared to move but make no sound as she continued on with her enraged tirade. He almost shuddered as if automatically his eyes began to move up and down her body... Down along her supple hips, which were clearly visible due to that damned clingy nightdress. He had been seeing WAY too much of that nightdress lately; he just wanted to rip the damned thing into shreds, and for more reasons than one... And those rose-colored little lips, currently moving so vivaciously...it was all he could do to not just lean over and ravage them straightaway so that he could somehow ensure that those lips would never be nothing but his...Wait, what did he care if they weren't anyway?! He didn't want her, and even if that _wasn't_ the case, he was still just lusting only after her body. And, as his inner monologue so eloquently put it, just once would be enough to take care of _that..._ "-do you care about me anyway, because I know you don't! Why does it matter if I go off by myself or with Sango if you don't give a damn in the first place?! Hey, are you listening to me?!" Kagome suddenly put forth angrily, her cheeks growing even more crimson.

"Why should I?! You never say anything worth hearing _anyway, _you little twit" Inuyasha, who was trying his best to glare daggers and knives at her face and not at her breasts, indignantly replied. "And besides, it's not YOU who I'm looking out for the safety for, but that of the Sacred Jewel! You're the only one who can find the shards, you worthless little-"

"Oh, worthless, am I?!" Kagome interrupted hotly, her eyes blazing so much that they could have toasted marshmallows. "Well, think about where your little quest would go without _me_! I don't need to be doing this, and I wouldn't even be here except for the fact that I want to help my friends! Which, of course," she added furiously, "does NOT include you!"

"Good! Who would _want _to be friends with you anyway, you ugly, whiny bitch!" Inuyasha snarled, now finally turning crimson himself in anger.

Feeling like she had gotten a brutal slap across the face as she desperately tried to hold in the warm, wet tears that were beginning to prick the corners of her eyelids, Kagome managed to dictate to him, "Just get away from me, Inuyasha! You're so arrogant and selfish and rude---and you think I don't _know _what will happen if we ever purify the Sacred Jewel?! You'll choose to become a full-fledged demon...and probably kill us all!"

"Well, wish I could _now_!" Inuyasha yelled back over his shoulder as he turned on his heel and started to head for the stream yet again, leaving her alone to sulk or do whatever girls did when they were angry beyond comprehension. He hoped that the sun wasn't very high yet so that the water there would be cold; after all, going around with a monstrous erection wasn't something that he wanted Kagome to see at the moment.

Dammit all, WHY was he doing this?! It seemed that the angrier and more hurt she seemed to get, the more aroused _he _seemed to get. It _was_ a bit thick of him, however, to have called her ugly like that; on a list of all the things that Kagome WASN'T, 'ugly' would probably be one of the first items. Just the mere thought of her body currently was bringing him into spasms...her hair, her eyes, those shapely legs...Her intelligence and wit were also plusses (although she often used both to get the best of him sometimes), as was her fiery demeanor. In fact, it had been proven several times now that the more fiery it was, the more he wanted her..._Why_ did he continue to want her like this, and especially when she didn't want _him?!_

"That goddamn water had BETTER be cold," he muttered angrily to himself as he tramped on through the forest.

Kagome had slumped back down into the covers and had sat weeping with her head in her hands for awhile, but after some time had passed she decided to harden up and get on with the day. After all, she concluded, she couldn't allow _him _to be her centering thought for the rest of her life; that would be allowing him to win! Slowly getting up from the tangled mess of coverlets that formed her bed, she slowly stood up (albeit a little shakily) and proceeded to find some of the biscuits and dried fish that Sango had packed into the provisions bag. She was suddenly feeling quite hungry...

As she restarted the fire and began to heat up the fish, however, she couldn't help but allow her mind to wander towards the conversation again... _(There it was again,) _she thought sadly as she set the pan of fish into the blistering coals. _(There was that look of hatred again...he really loathes me, doesn't he? But still, I don't know why-) _-at this her face crumpled up and her lower lip began to tremble- _(-why he has to still hurt me like this...Why can't he leave me alone? Why - why can't he just go back to Kikyo?) _She shook her head in frustration.

There was something, however, that seemed to just smell from the entire situation, Kagome ruminated. Something that had been bothering her ever since she had once again met up with Inuyasha... _(Where IS Kikyo anyway?! Shouldn't he be running to her and doting over her and their thirty kids right about now?! Why is he even wasting his time helping us? I don't know, I just don't know... Why couldn't I have fallen in love with someone agreeable, like Hojo? Wait a minute, did I just say I'm in LOVE with him?! How could I be, after what he did to me?) _She sighed dejectedly as she added water to the already sizzling fish.

At that moment she almost burnt her hand in shock when Sango suddenly came trampling through the undergrowth and back into camp. "Oh, good morning," Kagome said lightly, brushing aside her thoughts about Inuyasha for the moment. "Where have you been off to?"

"Oh...hello, Kagome," Sango replied, momentarily gagging from some unknown source. "I...I was just - just off in the bushes."

Kagome peered at her friend's face quizzically, which was an interesting greenish pallor. "Oh? You're not feeling too well, are you?"

Sango shook her head. "No...I've been throwing up for the past hour." She paused for a moment to turn away and retch painfully. "I knew I should have questioned Miroku about what he was putting in the stew last night, but I've found that with him it's always better not to ask."

Kagome gave her a sympathetic look. "Yeah, well...I hope it was nothing _too _poisonous. After all, I never had any, because - because-" She broke for a moment to glower.

"-because of that whole episode with Inuyasha last night, I know," Sango supplied for her. After another bout of gagging, she continued on in a shaky voice, "You know, I really doubt that he was doing it on purpose."

"Then why would he be doing it otherwise?" Kagome replied doubtfully.

"Oh, I don't know---I suppose it's something that I'd expect more out of Miroku, not him. And besides, maybe he was just looking for us. I know that even lately when you're not around he starts to look all over the place-"

Kagome cut her off with a humorless laugh. "_Him, _look for _me?! _ Why would he do THAT?! Just this morning he basically called me a worthless shard detector!"

"Well, you know Inuyasha better than anyone, Kagome. Usually when something comes out of his mouth he's thinking the opposite, and-"

"Hey, guys!" Both women whirled around to see Shippo hopping out from within the trees, followed by Inuyasha, who, unsurprisingly, still had a scowl on his face. "Look who I found out by the stream!"

"_Hey_!" Inuyasha cut in indignantly, his face turning red. "I TOLD you not to mention that to anyone, you runny-mouthed little-"

"But it's true, Inuyasha!" Shippo insisted vigorously. "What's the big deal anyway?!"

"I told you to shut UP, you little-"

"My, my, _we're _all talkative and energetic this morning, aren't we?" another voice rang out from another direction, this time causing everyone to whirl around yet again. Miroku lightly stepped out from behind a spreading oak, for some reason or other looking slightly depressed.

"_You _oughtta talk," Inuyasha snarled. "And where were _you, _anyway?"

The monk, who had perfected his manner from countless years of lying, managed to shrug indifferently. "Oh, I was just bathing in the stream..."

Inuyasha stared at him beadily. "Wait a minute, _I _was at the stream, and _I _didn't see you anywhere! Just what were you _really _doing?!"

"Well, Inuyasha," Miroku began cheekily, giving the half-demon a broad wink, "I believe that the question would really be: just what were _you _doing?"

"Why, you----" The half-demon started towards the now-frightened monk, who, always the first one to go for human shields, managed to duck away behind Sango and Kagome. Inuyasha threw up his hands in frustration, but didn't look away until he had mouthed to Miroku, "_You were looking for her clothes, weren't you, you bastard?!" _without allowing the others to pick up what he was saying. He then sniffed and, turning his back on the others, sat down by the fire, but whether he was angrier at Miroku or angrier at the monk's implied accusation (especially being that it was true), even he did not know.

Kagome tittered nervously to break the now heavy silence. "Well...ah...so when are we leaving here?" She gestured towards the sky, in which the sun could be seen beginning to rise over the lofty trees.

"No idea," Miroku replied to her confidingly, so that Inuyasha could not hear. "Perhaps we should wait until he cools down."

Sango shook her head in a sordid manner. "Well, we can't afford to wait _too _long. It's going to take us at least another day to get over that mountain pass, considering we even find a path that's not so rugged!" She winced in revulsion as her stomach gave another turn for the worse.

'Well, YOU try getting Inuyasha to go, Sango-chan," Miroku muttered to her out of the side of his mouth.

Kagome rolled her eyes as she cautiously approached the fire to take the fish off. As she bent down to douse the flame their eyes somehow locked once again. Knitting her brows in confusion, she stared at him as his eyes hardened in utmost loathing at the sight of her. They both continued to glare at each other for almost a minute, neither one refusing to relent in their gaze. _(I can't let him intimidate me anymore,) _Kagome thought stoutly, not even looking down as she removed the smoking fish from the pan. _(I can't let him know---I can't let him know that I- I-)_

"Oh, what are YOU looking at?!" Inuyasha finally broke the silence, his lower lip twisting in scorn as an unkept snarl somehow escaped from his throat.

"An idiot," was the bold reply as Kagome swept off towards the others.

&$#

The searing red-orange sun, disappearing below the horizon in an explosive burst of clouds and colors, allowed darkness to now fall over the lonely peaks in the mountain range. The scenery of the remote region, looking desolate at best in broad daylight, now made everything about borderline terrifying to Kagome. Making sure to keep ahead of Miroku and Sango, who were bringing up the rear, she tried to stay alert of her surroundings despite the failing light. It was really quite silly of her, being seemingly afraid of the dark like this, but the far-away howling of wolves further down and the skeletal-like outlines of the fir trees (now more plentiful in response to the higher altitude) made her feel like she should constantly be on her guard. Breathing deeply in order to help shake off the nervous feeling residing in the pit of her stomach, she tried to shake off the feeling of unrest that had been growing within her all day and kept her eyes on the grainy outline of Inuyasha in the lead ahead.

They, of course, had been walking all day; once Inuyasha had decided he had had enough of staring the fire out he had announced that they would attempt to get over the mountains that day. This so far had not happened, hence the fact that they were now walking under a velvety sky filled with endless stars. In fact, they had only reached the summit and began descending just two hours ago. Everyone at one time or another (and some repeated times) had grumbled and called for a halt to at least catch a breather, but Inuyasha, always the stubborn mule, would have none of it. He was the only one who now did not look tired; he walked at a brisk steady pace, not even looking back to check if the others were keeping up, the breeze billowing out his long silky silver hair... Kagome stared at it mesmerized as she walked on tiredly; his mellifluous locks had always fascinated her, she just wanted to reach out and stroke them---

She cursed vehemently under her breath as she tripped over a rock that had been in her path. Gritting her teeth as the pain seared upward from her stubbed toe, she allowed Miroku to help steady her and continued to limp along, now making sure to watch where she walked. _(Serves me right for staring at him like that,) _she grumpily chided herself. _(Seems like I don't even need HIM to punish me for ogling him all the time...)_

The night continued to wear on, the waxing moon rising steadily within the dusky sky. Time was wearing on as well; it was by now, Kagome calculated, well past midnight. She still couldn't figure out why Inuyasha was being so insistent like this; what was the point in getting to Naraku and the jewel shards faster when they would be wearing themselves out? What was the driving force behind his relentless pursuit? Something was definitely motivating him, that was for sure, though she didn't have the faintest idea what...

"Inuya-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-sha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-!!!!" Shippo whined pitifully, panting as he fell back behind the others. "Why can't we stop and sleep now?! We've been walking all da-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-y!!"

"Shut up," the agitated reply floated back, the half-demon not even bothering to turn around.

"FINE, then," Shippo huffed angrily. "Let my legs fall off!"

"I'll carry you, Shippo," Kagome offered wearily, bending down to pick up the exhausted little fox demon. For someone with such short, stubby legs, it was really no surprise that he seemed more tired than the rest of them...

"Thanks, Kagome," the little fox murmured gratefully, snuggling up against her chest as he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Another half hour perhaps passed, the night taking even more of a hold upon the hushed land. Their pace was slower now; their path grew rougher and more gravelly as they descended. Soon they would reach the beginnings of the forest again, and then perhaps, just perhaps, Inuyasha would allow them to rest... She had noticed that now that she was on this side of the mountain range she could feel the aura of the Jewel Shard a lot better than before; in fact, she estimated it to be quite close by... Surely even Inuyasha would not go in pursuit of it tonight.

All of a sudden, however, the atmosphere of the sinister but quiet night changed. A wispy cloud seemed to without warning scud across the pale moon, and a cold northern wind whistled through the tall firs. Kagome gasped in fright as a gargantuan figure unexpectedly swooped down and grabbed the slumbering Shippo out of her grasp with treacherous, razor-sharp claws, giving a fell shriek as it did so.

Everyone, including Inuyasha, halted immediately, grabbing their weapons and looking all around them. Kagome, feeling shocked beyond words, buried her face in her hands as the bad feeling that had been crawling dormant in her belly suddenly surfaced.

"What the _hell _is going on?!' Miroku shouted, his hand playing with the beads covering his wind tunnel.

"I don't know!" Sango replied worriedly, "but whatever it is, it's got Shippo!"

"Dammit, where and what ARE they?!" Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he attempted to locate their winged opponent.

Kagome's eyes widened as she stared upward and to their right at the countless dark shapes flying in formation, preparing for another swoop upon their unfortunate little band. "Look, you guys!" she shouted desperately, pointing upwards. "It's the Birds of Paradise! The Birds of Paradise are back!"

Author Note: Remember the Birds of Paradise? They appeared in the episode where Kagome met Kouga. They're these large, ugly bird things with demon torsos attached to their backs. Hmmm...Birds of Paradise...Kouga...mountains... Can you guys guess where they're nearing at the moment?

Oh yeah, and the three chapters of basically Inuyasha and Kagome glaring knives at each other are officially over. A semi-big plot twist ahead. A little cliched, maybe, but it'll stir things up for awhile.

AngelOfLight: Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Kikyo. :) I will drop the bomb about her at the most unexpected moment.

earthshine411: Heh, Miroku's marriage has only made him more perverted. Yep, once Kouga shows up, he's a major player in the plot, and he's up to his usual tricks. I'm sort of worried about my depiction of him, though; if I had to pick the person who I thought was most OOC, it would be Kouga.

sakura-chan: struggles vainly against explaining Must...not...give...plot...away... Aw, what the hell. Yeah, there will be, but I'll link you to another site for it. Lemons are getting to be illegal on 

sasami: Hmm, that's actually a really good question. He _is _still wearing the rosary; I suppose she could sit him anytime she wanted. I can think of maybe three times where she sits him in the future, so I guess she's saving it for later!

Moonmage: sweatdrop Oh crap, looks like I forgot to explain a few things... I have some extra details for the story that I ended up not adding. Well, um, Kagome isn't wearing the school uniform. The story right now is set roughly in mid to late August, after Kagome's graduation. In the coming fall she plans to attend the Tokyo U, where Hojo plans to go as well. Hence she got to discard the school uniform! Yay! And about Kagome's priestess powers...Inuyasha may actually never know. The only times that Kagome has used her powers so far has been when her life was in immediate danger; having had no formal training, she can't control them as well as Kikyo. Hopefully Inuyasha will never let it get to the point where her life is in danger! There is a bit about Kagome's priestess powers towards the end, though, but by then they're not as powerful anymore.

SakuraBaby: Heh, the fluff I can easily grant you (with some Miroku/Sango as well on the side), and fairly soon. Fluff is good! About the Kikyo situation, well, it will be a little while until the full story is revealed. Poor Kagome, she'll have to agonize about it for just a little longer...

inuyashaluv0528: I sent you some stuff onto how to submit a story. #scratches head# I hope it didn't confuse you, though, because it was really hard for me to explain it. It's not hard at all, just hard to put into words.

Thank you to Aoi senshi, ChibiKenshin6490, anna-7, CrescentCorpse, and Delonwethiel! You guys rock!

Anyway, I guess that's all until next time. Please review! Critique! Even flame, if you must! Any amount of feedback helps!


	10. Injury

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is SO totally unowned by myself.

Inuyasha thumbed at the hilt of Tetsusaiga impatiently. "Birds of Paradise?!" he demanded hotly. "_How?! _We slaughtered them years ago!"

"Yeah, _years _ago!" Kagome interceded with a desperate air as she glanced worriedly at the massive shapes circling overhead. "They've had plenty of time to repopulate the mountains since then! And who said we killed them all anyway?!"

"_I _say that we did!" the half-demon growled, giving her a glare that could have set fire to wintry tundra. "And I should be the one to know, I was the one who had to save your sorry ass from being carried o---aagh!" His tirade was suddenly cut short when one of the "birds" decided to swoop down and attempt to grab him by the ears. He managed to deflect its sharp claws just in the nick of time by unsheathing the untransformed Tetsusaiga and using it as a shield but ended up falling backwards onto the rocky ground.

Things went from bad to worse extremely fast. Miroku, Sango, and Kirara (not to mention Inuyasha himself) were all experienced fighters, but the sheer number of the Birds of Paradise was overwhelming. They continually swooped down upon the group of travelers, squawking horribly and lashing out with their razor-like claws. Everyone was forced to congregate back-to-back into a tightly-knit circle to avoid being carried off.

"What do they WANT?!" Miroku cried out, beaning one on the head with his staff.

"I don't know!" Sango shouted in reply. "We don't even have a Jewel Shard for them to come after!"

Survival was their prime worry now; though Shippo and his whereabouts were preeminent on everyone's mind, no one could afford to look for the demon that had swooped down to carry him off. Kagome realized with a sinking feeling that they probably didn't even have a ghost of a chance; had Inuyasha been able to transform the Tetsusaiga perhaps they would have, but the sword remained useless, still thin and twisted and probably of even less use than a butter knife. _(Why won't it change?) _Kagome thought desperately. _(What's wrong?...) _Had he perhaps not used it in a long period of time and was unable to channel its power anymore, or did the sword itself have magical properties which had faded over the years? No, wait a minute, the properties weren't in the sword but within the user; the user's desire to protect a human activated it, and----ohhhhhh, _that _was why. Despite the perilous situation Kagome hung her head; even within the heat of battle his true feelings shined through like a terrible beacon...

The fighting continued to rage on, each moment getting more frenzied and desperate for the travelers than the last. The horrible, grotesque faces, with hanging jaws lined with pointed teeth, seemed to leer at Kagome as they swooped down in droves, pecking and squawking and scratching, urged on by the demonesque forms which resided as parasitic hosts upon each bird's back. The weight of the sheer number of them was going to overpower them sooner or later, no matter how good they were at fighting...although Kagome loathed to admit it, she could see no way in which they'd be getting out of this one...

It all happened within a split second, swift but merciful. Suddenly Miroku and Sango, seeing the dark shape still holding the unconscious Shippo hovering in the distance, ran off to aid him, followed by a bloody and scratched Kirara, whose hackles were raised in anger. At roughly the same time Inuyasha was attacked by fresh wave of the Birds of Paradise; he fought desperately, lashing out with his claws with his left hand and holding the almost worthless Tetsusaiga as a shield against the sharp beaks and talons with his right. And another thing happened as well... It was then that Kagome, formerly protected by being in the middle of the group, was left open and vulnerable. The birds beset her immediately, knocking her to the ground and attacking her mercilessly.

Kagome tried to fight, but her efforts were worthless. She attempted to grab at the bow and arrows slung across her back (now was definitely not the time to be worrying whether or not the bow had been Kikyo's), but suddenly one of the bolder demons closed in on her and gashed her chest, ripping part of her shirt open and causing torrents of blood to run down her torso. The last she saw was a combination of bright, gaudy stars and a grotesque, leering face hovering over her...

&$

Inuyasha, his head turning immediately upon the screams, felt a shred of horror tugging at his chest as he saw the pitiful, twisted figure amongst the congregation of frenzied bird demons. Letting out a cry of rage as he booted an upcoming monster right in the face, he turned his back on the situation at hand and dashed for Kagome, punching, kicking, and clawing anything with feathers that he came upon. "_Get...AWAY...from...her, _you stupid bastards!" he screeched, grabbing handfuls of feathers and literally flinging the birds away. "You can't HAVE her!"

Somehow he managed to grab her frail, unconscious form, but now he was unable to fight effectively, his hands being full. He looked from side-to-side desperately, looking for Miroku and Sango's whereabouts. "Dammit, where ARE you guys?!" he shouted, shielding Kagome's face from the demons' prying beaks in just the nick of time. He couldn't see them anywhere...and they had just been next to him moments before. Where WERE they?!

He let out an "oof!" as a bird almost bowled him over by knocking him in the chest. _(That's it. I can't stay here any longer. I hate to run away from a fight, but...) _He stared down at Kagome, whose scarlet blood was seeping all over her shirt. _(...it looks like I don't have a choice. They'll have to catch up with me later.) _Taking a long shuddering breath, he broke his way through the ranks of demons surrounding him, taking off into the wooded area below with superhuman speed.

&$

(Damn...how could this have happened?! HOW?!) His breath coming out in short, ragged puffs, Inuyasha, yet carrying the still unconscious Kagome, stared up at the night sky, which was partially obscured by the flailing canopy of the pine woods but beginning to show the slightest signs of pink. He shook his head despondently, squinting critically back down at the comatose girl, whose face was now a deathly white but fairer than ever.

(FUCK! How could I have let my guard down like that?! HOW?! Now thanks to my moment of carelessness she could die! DIE!)

Looking back over behind his shoulder one last time to check if he had outrun the last of the demons (they had been hard on his ass for the past three hours), he located a snug, well-hidden pine grove and proceeded to lay the girl gently down into a springy bed of ferns. He stared at her, tears threatening to well up in his normally stern, austere eyes. _(Damn, I finally reunite with her when I never thought I'd see her again and then she might DIE! I have the devil's own luck, don't I?)_

Reluctantly he shifted himself down next to her and examined her carefully, almost afraid to look for bad signs. Though extremely pale and though her breathing appeared faint, he found that she was still nevertheless breathing and still alive. Her pulse seemed feeble as his large, warm hand grasped her cold, lifeless one, but it was a pulse nonetheless. She was alive, that was for sure...but he still was unsure about just how hurt she really was. He was no doctor, but he decided to get right to the bottom of it and see...

Gingerly he straddled her legs, gently working with her blood-stained shirt until he had ripped it the slightest bit to reveal her wound. Sucking in his breath tentatively as the deep puncture came into view, he saw that it was a relatively large wound located on her upper chest near her collarbone but it had clotted some time ago. It was a nasty gash, there was no doubt about that, and it would have to be watched carefully for infection, but it all-in-all wasn't life-threatening.

He stared at her for a moment longer, entranced by her simple beauty despite her sloth. Her skin so icy and pale, her frail, slender form so helpless and vulnerable, those ruby red lips, large and slightly parted, so ready and kissable... His eyes even shamelessly roved down towards the slight cleavage he had exposed due to him ripping part of her shirt... He was in a perilous and very compromising position, sitting on top of her like this, but he was beyond the point of caring. He wanted to explore those lips, to feel the rhythmic moving of her body against his, to just have _any _contact with her other than the petty, quibbling facade he had kept up with her for the past few days. Boldly he slowly leaned down over her, his face getting closer and closer to those sweet lips of hers, daring to do what he had thought about for years---

And then she stirred.

Inuyasha immediately leaped back, expecting the worst, but a few seconds later she just moaned in her sleep, her eyelids moving slightly as she seamlessly transferred into yet another mode of slumber. The moment totally ruined (and also feeling quite ashamed of himself), he sighed and proceeded to root in the bag that had been strapped onto her shoulders, one that Sango had kindly packed for her prior to the journey. In it he found some wound dressings and herbs for various kinds of wounds, and he started off by gently cleaning the wound with a small rag. He then went on to apply salve to the deep scratch, which ran from the top of her breast to her collarbone. After admiring his crude handiwork, he then replaced her shirt back up where it was supposed to be, painfully untangled himself from her supple legs, and proceeded to wish for some cold water yet again.

Sitting under the shade of a huge conifer a few feet away, the half-demon scowled as he pondered the question that had been coming at him ever since he saw Kagome again a few days ago. _(DAMN it. What is WRONG with me anyway?! Why does this stupid woman have such an effect on me?! She's stubborn, utterly annoying, dumb, extremely ugly, doesn't even act like a lady...and she's - and she's...absolutely...beautiful...) _He stared with half-closed eyes at the helpless, unconscious girl, whose breast was now rising and falling steadily with each breath she took. _(I-I don't know what to do anymore. She's driving me insane! She's driving me insane and she doesn't even have a clue she's doing it!)_

(Why didn't I act on it when I had the chance?... She was at least TALKING to me back then, and even if she didn't feel the same the worst I could have gotten was a no! )

(I've NEVER felt this way about someone before. Not anybody! Not even Kikyo...) His jawline visibly tightened as visions of his former lover popped unbidden into his mind. _(And for some reason I never even thought of doing, well, -you know- with Kikyo either! And now I do... Is this---NATURAL?!) _He shook his head, his face glowing a hot crimson as he yet again tried to check the unbelievably sick thoughts racing through his mind. _(URGHHHH!!! That's IT! There's got to be a cold stream around here---I've been smelling it for the past ten minutes! I'm gonna find it!)_

Taking one last look at Kagome, he ripped off his bright red jacket and proceeded to cover the girl with it, giving a grunt of satisfaction as he noticed that color was beginning to seep back into her cheeks and that her sleep seemed more natural. He would leave her, though just for a few minutes---his pants might have been feeling a few sizes too small, but it probably wasn't wise to leave her alone for too long.

"I'll be right back," he muttered brusquely and to no one in particular as he stepped out of the pine grove.

&$

It was sheer torture, but she was yet again audience to the pair of star-crossed lovers. Every muscle in her body wanted her to move, to run far away and not bear witness to Inuyasha and Kikyo confessing their love towards one another, but she seemed permanently frozen within the bushes. There they were again, as clearly as it had been the day she had actually seen it... Inuyasha, his arms entwined around Kikyo's bare shoulders, his mouth pressed firmly against hers...and Kikyo, standing there pressed against him as her long white hands lightly massaged the small of his back. The waterfall behind them poured down whole-heartedly, mist and water droplets spraying against their bodies as if setting the tone for some far-off dream...

Dream? Or nightmare?...

"You missed me, didn't you?" Kikyo's voice rang out softly as usual, pulling back from his swollen lips as she tweaked his dog-like ears gently.

His reply was very soft, but audible and clear. "Of course I did, Kikyo. Every day, every second---you were always right there within my mind. And no one else..." He reached up once again to softly kiss her lips, his hands softly smoothing down her silky black locks.

The usual conversation that she constantly dreamed of, however, seemed to go off on a tangent from there. "Yes," Kikyo went on, pointedly looking over towards Kagome. "And no one else..."

"No...no one else," Inuyasha added, looking over towards her as well. "There was never anyone but you, Kikyo. No one."

"But what of-"

His long clawed fingers gently stroked her mouth in order to silence her. "Don't be a fool, dearest...I just needed her in order to get you back. What made you think that I wanted...her?" He gestured over towards Kagome in the bushes. "She was an idiot to think that she ever had a chance. I want...you. Forever."

And he leaned over yet again to kiss Kikyo tenderly...

"_NO!_" Kagome shrieked as she sat bolt upright, the vivid scenes of Inuyasha and Kikyo still reverberating throughout her head. Wiping off the deluge of cold sweat that had been beading on her forehead, she tried to breathe deeply as she stared upward at the scraggly canopy of conifers, trying to gather her thoughts as best she could.

(Damn, it was that dream again...)

There WAS a difference between her usual dream and the one she had just had, however... _(It was different this time, though...Inuyasha and Kikyo actually went right out and SAID that I never meant anything to him except as a means for him to get her back...Well, even though that never really happened, I'm sure there's absolutely nothing wrong with THAT theory,) _she thought miserably, flushing as she remembered the sheer embarrassment she had had when Inuyasha had basically called her nothing in the dream.

"I wish I was home," she muttered silently, looking upwards at the sky above her, tinged with shades of pink and purple for the oncoming dusk. "I wish I had never gotten into this again." Sighing heavily, she pictured in her mind's eye _exactly _what she wished for. _(I wish I was going to college instead of being forced to stay here...I wish I was leading the life of a normal eighteen year old girl...I even wish I was dating Hojo...anything but this again. For crying out loud, he doesn't love me. In fact, he doesn't even like me! Why - why am I still wasting my time dwelling on this?)_

However much time had passed, she was not to be a good judge. Looking around the dusky little pine grove, she could see nothing but the moving of the branches in the slight wind and the quiet calls of birds settling in for their nightly roost. Had she been sleeping for a day? Perhaps more? Her head was too muddled and fuzzy to know or to perhaps even care, but something in the back of her brain told her that it was important. Wait---she remembered something---the dim shapes of squawking birds, mounted by fearsome demon riders---Shippo shrieking as he got carried off within one of their sharp, curling talons---Miroku and Sango running out to assist him...

It all came back with a deluge of memories, and especially of her last ones. That ugly demon's face leering over her, its spurs lashing right into her chest...Wait, her chest! Quickly she tried to stand up to get a better look, but ended up shrieking in pain as her sudden movement perpetrated a searing moment of pain that practically knocked the wind right out of her body. "Ugh," she moaned, stopping a second to catch her breath and then going to a more careful inspection of her body. She gingerly looked down her shirt (not very far though, as for some reason or other it seemed to be ripped partially open) and gagged as she saw the ugly-looking gash that ran diagonally across her righthand upper chest. "Crap, I really did it this time, didn't I?" she muttered, wincing as she poked the dry, clotted blood with a trembling finger. "I'm really lucky. Another inch and it could have cut an artery."

Something was really puzzling, however. Upon closer inspection of the wound it seemed that someone had cleaned and applied salve to it; it seemed that someone was taking care of her, though whether it was one of her companions she really hadn't a clue. What had happened to them all, anyway?... Was she the only survivor of that horrible raid in the mountains?... It was such an unbearable thought that she closed her eyes momentarily, uttering a prayer in her mind for their safety.

It was at that moment that something bright and red and not blood suddenly and quickly caught her attention, however. Squinting as was her usual bad habit when she was trying to figure something out, she noticed with alarm that what she had been using as a blanket apparently happened to be Inuyasha's bright red haori. "What the-?" she muttered confusedly, her heart skipping a beat as she tried to piece together what had happened while she had been asleep. She quickly scanned the pine grove; there was no sign of other people, just her bag, the smoldering remains of a campfire, and her bow and quiver of arrows, which lay in a haphazard pile next to her makeshift bed of ferns. "Inuyasha's jacket?" she thought aloud. "And just my bag? Oh no, this couldn't mean-"

"For Chrissakes, would you STOP squealing like a stuck hog?!" an angry voice demanded from outside the grove. Kagome watched tensely as Inuyasha came crashing out of the bushes, looking pale and quite irritable. "It's thanks to you that we're stuck in this stupid predicament anyway!"

Unfortunately yes, it DID mean that. Wherever Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were, they sure as hell weren't here. She was now totally alone with Inuyasha and completely at his mercy.

Author's Note: I know, very cliche. Flame me if you must. But it WILL give them a chance to sort out any -er- grievances.

ChibiKenshin6490: Heh, he'll come around. Eventually.

AxelBlaze: Actually, Inuyasha still does have that rosary; Kagome just hasn't sat him. The only excuse that I could possibly give is that perhaps she's just too sad and angered at what he did to even talk to him very much. The sitting comes later, and is used for other snicker purposes.

Blue-Shade: Normalish, eh? They will get that way pretty soon, actually. However, there's one more hellish escapade for them to get through before that happens...

earthshine411: Kouga's coming next chapter! I hope you won't kill me for the way that I depicted him, though...

Piper: You're right about the "seem" part, actually. He does have an ulterior reason, but he's being an idiot because he's too proud to tell her the actual truth of what happened. Don't worry, it'll get cleared up eventually!

SakuraBaby: Your review wasn't bad at all, and I really hope that the chap put you in a better mood. The last few chapters have been kind of depressing, though...

Also thank you to sibby4ever, Carly, inuyashaluv0528, anna-7, Delonwethiel, and Shiroi senshi. You guys rock!!!!


	11. Envy

Disclaimer: (rolls eyes) Uh huh...I SO totally own Inuyasha.

Author's Note: And now for something completely different. Yes, I'm quoting Monty Python, but this time I AM going for something different. I'm putting my review replies before the actual story this time because -well- because -well- I have a feeling that a few people might be angry at the plot turn I'm putting in today. I have to go with my instincts, though, so I'm keeping it in the story. Enjoy!

ChibiKenshin6490: Actually, you're right about the really soon part. I'm just trying to build up the tension. Kagome and Inuyasha are finally getting together soon...and you won't be disappointed.

earthshine411: Yeah, actually, Inuyasha has to do one more thing before the Tetsusaiga transforms again...and that's to stop denying his feelings. And you're right about eying me suspiciously...you'll probably want to throw me in the river after reading this. All I can hope for is that the drowning won't be painful.

Inu Sweet Pup Ears: About the awkward line...it probably was. I think I was really tired when I put that in. And as for not knowing to which extreme you want...heh...I can confidently say that a little of BOTH of those things will happen before the story is over.

Also thank you to Draechaeli, Kagome-reincarnation, sibby4ever, Kyasumi, SakuraBaby, Ebon Rose, and Danno 123 for reviewing too.

OK, again, as I've hinted numerous times, some of you will not like what I did in this chapter, especially since I know that a lot of you don't want anything ELSE bad to happen between Inuyasha and Kagome. This is the bottom, though, and it can only go up from here. Cuz', let's face it, something BAD happened to the two of them three years ago, and only something BAD is capable of getting them together again. Yes, getting them together is an indirect result of what happens in this chapter. Also: I know I will leave you with an awful cliffhanger. I will explain more about it in the endnotes.

&$#

It was shaping up to be another beautiful summer day in the mountains. The sun beat down contentedly upon the range's peaks, still slightly capped with snow, and also spread its warmth onto the thick conifers inhabiting the lower slopes. The stillness of the previous night had been forgotten and was now replaced with the quaint solitude that only the rustic locale of isolated mountains could bring; birds sang, creatures frolicked, and even the grass seemed greener than usual.

At least, everything _would _have been like this, if every living creature around wouldn't have been scared stiff by all of the yelling nearby, echoing noisily throughout the surrounding peaks.

"Hurry up with that! Geez, not only does your cooking stink, but you take forever too!"

"Then stop waiting! Go gnaw on your hand or something if my cooking's so terrible!"

"And what's that stuff you just put in a minute ago? Is it poison? Trying to kill me or something?!"

"Actually, maybe I am! However did you guess?!"

"Well, go right ahead!"

"Great, we're agreed!"

"Oh all right, just come and get it then! I'm sure you'll get food poisoning from the meat, but perhaps that will shut you up for at least five minutes!"

"Fine!"

"_Fine_."

"FINE!"

Kagome glowered as she slowly stirred the dark, simmering broth with a long stick. The argument had long since gone redundant, with the two of them sounding like a couple of toddlers, but it seemed to her better than the stony, tension-filled silence that she had gotten accustomed to in the past few hours. _(Why is he acting like this anyway?) _she thought anxiously. _(It's not MY fault that it ended up like this!)_

Inuyasha himself, however, seemed to beg to differ. He had hardly done anything but insult her (providing he said anything to her at all) since she had awoken the previous evening, one of his especial points being that she was the one who had caused this entire situation come about in the first place. _(He is SO infuriating! Like _I _would have wanted the Birds of Paradise to swoop down in the first place!)_

(He hasn't even asked about my wound,) she thought bitterly, wincing as a sharp pain in her right arm reminded her that she shouldn't be using it to stir. _(You'd think that he'd be at least a LITTLE concerned, me being his own personal Jewel detector and all! After all, even Jewel detectors need to be alive in order to detect!)_

All-in-all, though, things could have been much, much worse. Her wound had narrowly come off as a deep scratch, and it seemed to definitely be on the mend. Its mark would stay for many days yet, but she felt well enough to do most daily tasks. Though she honestly wasn't sure whether or not she would be up to walking distances... Luckily Inuyasha hadn't said anything about leaving yet (in fact, she was lucky if he even said a word to her at all, except in the form of insults), but if he did she would have no choice other than to put up a considerable fight.

She looked over across the fire at the irritable half-demon, whom from which tension seemed to emanate from in droves. Tension, tension, tension...it seemed to be the driving force that was pulling her apart these days. This situation, however, was especially uncomfortable; she didn't know what to say or what to do as she sat there across the fire from him, kneeling upright as she waited for the soup to boil. She was alone with him, naked and vulnerable...

(I'm so confused...it's like there's some internal fight within me. I'm so hurt by him---still so hurt by him and Kikyo...yet somehow I'm fatally drawn like a moth to flame. What's wrong with me anyway? He's so sadistic, so egotistical---who COULD fall in love with him, other than Kikyo?)

(Yeah, that's right, I'm still in love with him. Despite all this crap, despite all the times he's broken my heart, I'm still in love with him. It's a sad thing to admit, but...I never stopped thinking about it all, even after I left...Every time that I looked into Hojo's face, I - I saw you, Inuyasha...)

She couldn't entirely see his face when she had bundled up enough courage to give him a quick glance; it was mostly covered with his long silky hair, though going by his form he seemed to be pouting. _(Man, I remember the days when I used to be frightened for my life when he was around. Like that time when he tried to kill me for the Shikkon Jewel. Well---not that I'm not afraid of him right now, but...)_

"OY!" Both of their heads turned quickly at the vigorous shout nearby, and Kagome started slightly as a young wolf-demon dressed unevenly in rugged furs suddenly crashed carelessly out of the bushes. He went on in a singsong voice, "Hear now that you are in the domains of the wolf-king Kouga and that any trespassers must immediately pay tribute to---oh," he stopped, noticing that the "trespassers" were in reality two people friendly to the tribe. "Never mind."

Inuyasha, however, hadn't noticed his blunder. "Oh, are we?!" he replied evenly as he jumped to his feet, flexing his claws slightly. "Well, tell that wolf-eared piece of TRASH that I'm not paying him CRAP!!" _Shit, _he hadn't realized that they had wandered into the mountainous region where Kouga and his tribe lived... If he _had _he would have taken especial care to avoid passing through...

"Now wait just a minute!" Kagome shrieked, jumping to her feet as well (though the pains in her shoulder made her immediately regret doing so). "You can't just-"

"Go tell your fatass cowardly leader that he can take that 'tribute' and stick it up his gigantic, lecherous a-"

"But sir!" the wolf-demon protested meekly. "Kouga has ordered that if we come across the lady-" -here he gestured towards Kagome- "-we are to immediately bring her to him to show her our hospitality!"

If anything, this got Inuyasha even more enraged. "Hospitality, eh?!" he spat, barely able to suppress his rage. "Tell that territory-stealing bastard that I'd rather have my sword shoved up my ass!" He patted the long and rather pointy Tetsusaiga as if to prove his point.

"_Hey!" _Kagome interjected angrily. "How about asking _me _first before you go spouting off?! What is it that you've got against poor Kouga anyway?! And another thing: I'm _hurt _if you haven't noticed yet! I certainly wouldn't say no to a warm roof over my head for at least a night!"

"You don't know what you're talking about, you little twit---"

"YES I DO!! I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!! AND- AND - URGHHHH!" Frustrated, she turned away from the practically catatonic half-demon and towards the bewildered wolf-demon, who had stepped back amid the heated quarrel. "Take me to Kouga then, please," she simpered sweetly in her most repressed voice, giving him a smile that would have melted arctic ice. "And _you_," she coldly added to Inuyasha over her shoulder, "you can stay here and sulk if you don't want to come along!"

That seemed to do it. "Oh, I'm coming along all right," he immediately muttered darkly, his voice barely audible. "I'm not letting you get away without sensing all those leftover Shikkon Jewel shards..."

"Good, then." Kagome quickly and efficiently put the fire out. "That means we're ready to leave!" She winced as she shouldered her pack. With that she followed the wolf out of the grove, with Inuyasha irately tramping along in their wake.

&$#

Inuyasha scowled as he clumsily tripped over an ill-placed rock. He kicked at it bad-temperedly, already angry at the fact that he was currently heading towards the person whom he hated most in the entire world (though this was marginal, since the thought of Naraku made his blood boil almost as much). "King" Kouga's supposed "domains" must have reached for far and wide across the northern side of the mountains, he reflected sulkily, as they had been walking for a good two hours. Kagome, already unwell from her wound, had started to tire well over an hour ago, and he almost considered either calling for a halt or helping her along, but he did neither, as doing so would let her know that he was somewhat concerned about her. And God forbid he was ever going to show her THAT...

In the old days he had let her clamber up on his back, at times when she was either tired, injured, or when they had to get somewhere in a hurry. THAT, however, was now out of the question. Not only was there the above excuse, but his freshly perverted mind now knew full well the sexual undertone that it conveyed. He wasn't sure if he could actually stay sane if she climbed up onto him, her legs straddling his back, her fragrant hair tickling his, her breasts firmly pressed up against his shoulderblades...

And besides, he got a nice view of her ass, walking back here behind her. Though they were now descending steadily, sometimes the mountain winds would let out an unexpected gust and her skirt would blow up ever so slightly, showing off her---well, you get the picture. Why try and help her when she would push him away and insult him anyway?! He knew damn well that she loathed him even more than Kikyo...

Kouga's "castle" actually turned out to be a large, hollowed-out cave nestled in a dried-up gorge, further down and somewhat to the west of where they had been attacked by the Birds of Paradise. The entrance was constantly guarded by several wolf-demons and their lupine companions, and though a lot less comfortable inside than a large manor or even a hut, it seemed to be well fortified and easy to defend from enemies. _(Unfortunately that bastard is smart enough not to get himself killed by Naraku,) _the half-demon thought with chagrin, his hand almost bleeding from the way his pointed claws were digging into it. _(It's a freaking shame that he had to wisen up after half his tribe got killed off...)_

They were immediately ushered into the heart of the cave, which was full of various wolf-demons going about their daily tasks. Kagome noticed brightly that the tribe had seemingly mingled with others and their numbers had swelled; there were a lot of pups and children around, with their dark, wild-eyed mothers following them around and scolding them angrily. There were plenty of able bodied men as well, all sharpening weapons or guarding the entrance to the caves. And at the far end of the cavern, sitting near a blazing fire, was the man himself...

"K-Kagome!" Kouga sputtered, immediately jumping to his feet and running up to them. "It's been so long!" He stared at her speechlessly for a moment, then allowing the questions to stream out endlessly like a river at the beginning of spring. "What've you been up to?! Where have you been?! Where did you disappear to?! What brings you here?!"

"Don't ask me," Inuyasha sniffed as he answered that last question, refusing to look the wolf-demon in the eye. "It wasn't MY idea to pay you a visit, Kouga."

The wolf-demon's face fell, as if noticing a long-unnoticed boil on his face when staring in the mirror. "Oh, it's...you." He stared at Inuyasha critically for a moment, but then asked him innocently, a wicked grin spreading upon his handsome features, "Gnaw on any bones lately, puppy?"

Inuyasha felt his face flush in embarrassment. "I'll _puppy _you, you arrogant basta-"

"To answer your questions, Kouga," Kagome interrupted suddenly, trying not to laugh at Kouga's well-placed barb, "I've been home for a long time. I just got back lately. I'm sorry if I worried you..."

"Aw, that's all right." Kouga waved it off carelessly. "Just as long as you're not hurt or dead. 'Cause my wolves hadn't heard any word about any of you for ages, I was starting to think-" Suddenly with lightning speed he caught Kagome, who at the last minute had tottered waveringly and was starting to fall-

"I'm sorry!" Kagome cried as Kouga's strong muscled arms slowly lifted her back up. She leaned against him, grabbing his right arm for support.

"That's OK, that's OK," the wolf-demon replied quickly, looking at her confusedly. "But what the hell-"

A furious growl from Inuyasha's direction suddenly cut him off. "She's HURT, you moron! HURT!" he bellowed. "Use your damn eyes!"

"Don't snap at him like that!" Kagome shouted in reply. "I don't know what your problem is, but you need to quit it!" She then craned her head over towards Kouga, who was still holding her tightly. "The Birds of Paradise attacked us on the mountain pass almost two days ago. We got separated from the others, and I got wounded..."

Kouga's intense eyes flicked down to her bloodstained shirt. "I see...Well, in that case, we have to get you well. I'll have my healer check you over right away."

Kagome stifled a yawn. "Actually...I've gone awhile without being healed, and I think I can manage for a bit I sleep, please?"

He shrugged. "Sounds fine to me. You can use my room. C'mon." With that, before Inuyasha could protest, he began to lead her over to the right, over towards his own private chamber.

The room could have barely fit five people, but it seemed to serve the purpose for a bedroom. Lit only by a dim lantern and connected to the main cave only by a small aperture closed off with thick animal skin, it consisted simply of a few scattered possessions and a large bed of large, luxurious furs. Kouga gestured towards the bed, motioning her for her to sit on the floor as he made it messily. "Here, you can sleep here. It's quiet and if anyone disturbs you, I'll kill 'em." He flexed his claws, grinning. "Now I'll get you some water and food. Be right back."

When he was safely gone, Kagome, sick and tired of her smelly, bloodstained outfit, proceeded to remove all her clothes and lay down in the huge, comfortable mess of furs. She wrapped herself in a particularly silky ermine skin and proceeded to wait for Kouga. He hadn't changed a bit in three years, she reflected happily. With his long black hair, his bright blue eyes, and his pointed fangs, which stuck out of his mouth and gave him a rather coy look; with his huge, bulging muscles and his well-formed legs, which stuck out from his short kilt like tree trunks, he seemed like the burgeoning epitome of masculinity. And he was also still so kind...so different than Inuyasha, she thought with a sinking feeling.

By the way, Inuyasha hadn't followed her in here yet... Although she was madder at him than ever at his behavior towards Kouga, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable without his presence...he was practically the only unchanging constant in her life, with his insults and his fixed scowl. She was pretty sure he wouldn't leave without her...what was he doing, anyway?! Well, _that _question probably answered itself, she thought crossly; Kouga's insult had probably given him quite the blow to his ego and he was probably off sulking somewhere. She couldn't help but give off a quiet chuckle. _(That was hilarious. And the best part is that he probably doesn't even know what Kouga REALLY meant!)_

(Oh well. Like it matters,) she reasoned sleepily, turning over onto her side as sleep began to consume her in full. _(If he wants to be mad at me because he was rude, then I guess it'll just have to be that way.)_

It was dark when Kagome woke up again, or at least it looked like it; the lantern had burned out and she could no longer see the fur curtain. Yawning loudly and stretching her arms as far as they would go, she blinked and wondered how long she had slept. It had felt like forever, but it had felt so good...

Suddenly she was aware of movement next to her, but before she could shout out at whoever was there, the lantern was relit and Kouga's lithe form blazed into view. He quickly kneeled next to her, his face a mixture of worried concern and - and, to tell the truth, she didn't really know... "Are you feeling better?" he asked. "You've been out for a good eight hours; it's night now."

"Yeah, I'm all right," Kagome replied fuzzily, propping her body up on her good arm.

"That's good, that's good," he replied hastily, kneeling in closer. "Because I need to talk to you. Bad."

This piqued Kagome's curiosity. "...Why?"

Kouga cleared his throat nervously, as if going to go off with a rehearsed speech. "Well, Kagome, I -uh- I'm going to take you for a mate."

"WHAT?!"

The wolf-demon nodded confidently. "Yeah, I've finally decided. Actually, I decided years ago, but I never got the chance, since you left as fast as you did. But now - but now we've got plenty of time."

"I am NOT-"

Kouga interrupted her with a swift chuckle. "You don't really have a choice, Kagome. You see, us demons don't have to go with all the crap that humans do. Courting, marriage, betrothal-" -he ticked all of these off with his thumb- "-you see, the males just take what they _want._ And you're no exception."

Kagome gasped, so petrified that she was unable to move, as he slowly ran his rough finger against her lips. "You're quite a prize, Kagome. Smart, beautiful, resourceful...you're definitely a catch. The perfect wolf queen... To hell with the Shikkon Jewel!" He patted his upper thigh, which Kagome now noticed no longer had Jewel Shards inserted into them. "I don't need that worthless thing any more than you do! All I need is...you."

"But I'm not a wolf!" Kagome cried shakily. "You can't just TAKE me like some animal!"

A wry smile played upon Kouga's thin lips. "That's where you're wrong, princess," he almost purred, his fingers playing at her chin. "That's where you're wrong... I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm just playing by the rules. By instinct... And whether you want this or not, that's what you're going to get." Before she could throw him off, he was kissing her heatedly, his hands moving roughly up and down the nape of her neck.

Kagome leaned backwards and gritted her teeth the second he withdrew. "Kouga, I don't CARE if this is how wolves do it, I don't want to do this!"

Kouga, however, wasn't going to talk anymore. He continued on with his dirty work, pulling himself onto the bed and starting to kiss her neck feverishly. She cried out as his fangs lightly nipped her tender skin, but he ignored her, going up further to eventually reach her mouth. _(Oh no, oh no, oh NO!) _Kagome inwardly groaned as he eased her against the rocky wall. _(Please don't do this!)_

He looked up from her for a moment, breathing hard as he whispered to her huskily, "Don't worry---you're not going to regret this. It won't hurt---much."

Close to tears, Kagome stiffened rigidly as he continued on, bracing herself for what was to come.

&$#

The little inn in the small village of Shinji, hugged all around by the frosty mountain peaks, had never seen such strange, bedraggled visitors. The young couple had arrived the previous night, begging for the best room within the small inn and carrying their small pet (some actually said demon), whom had been picked up by a large bird and had consequently gotten knocked into a coma upon being released from its grip by a well-thrown rock. The villagers had not sighted the mysterious visitors since, but they knew that they were still upstairs, perhaps trying to care for their injured "pet"...

"Is he looking all right?" Miroku asked anxiously, trying to peer over Sango's shoulder at Shippo's limp, curled form upon the bed. He would have looked rather comical had it not been for the current situation; right on top of his head was a large lump practically the size of a golf ball. It had been the unfortunate result of a rather adventurous Bird of Paradise which had taken it upon himself to dive bomb him from above.

The young woman shook her head frustratedly. "Nothing seems _really _wrong, but...Oh dammit, Miroku! Why won't he wake the hell up?!" She turned away from the pitiful sight, immediately bursting into a deluge of tears as she did so.

The monk creased his brow worriedly. "I don't know...But he honestly can't be dead; that bird didn't carry him very fa-"

"Oh shut it, don't get my hopes up!" Sango snapped, whirling around to face her husband. "He may be alive, but it's getting close to two days and he still hasn't stirred! Will he _ever _wake up?!"

Miroku sighed heavily as he sat in a rickety chair nearby. "I wish that there was a way to tell...but waiting is all that we can do for the moment. There's no way that we can get a healer in this town; we don't nearly have the money that would be required to even get a consultation. All we can do is stay in this inn...and wait."

"...I guess so." The young woman chewed on her lip nervously, her face showing the slightest tinge of green as she stared at her unconscious little friend.

"...You're sick again, aren't you?!" Miroku's question suddenly came out of the blue, surprising his wife but nevertheless being accurate.

"What?"

"Honestly, was my stew that awful?! You're sick again! Your face is pale, you've been gagging when you think my back is turned, and--"

"Now isn't the time to worry about that!"

The monk laughed bitterly. "We're having the worst of luck on this whole escapade, aren't we? We never should have left home! Right now we should be planting the late harvest and getting by with a few exorcisms. What more business do we even _have _with Naraku?"

"Now Miroku, we've already been through this-"

"I realize, I realize..." He sighed, looking down at the dirty wooden floor. "It's just that we have been plagued with bad luck. You with your sickness, Shippo's injury...there's no plausible way that we're going to be leaving this inn for at least two days."

"But what about Inuyasha and Kagome?" Sango asked him in a worried voice, wiping the sweat on her brow with her sleeve. "I really don't feel comfortable with those two alone somewhere together---considering they even got away! Inuyasha's so unpredictable; right now he could be making Kagome absolutely miserable! It's bad enough that the poor girl had to even see him again..."

Miroku gave off a short, rather uncharacteristic giggle.

"What? What's so funny?!"

"Oh...I honestly don't think that you will have to worry about _that_..."

"Why? What do you mean?!"

Miroku giggled creepily again. "Just what I said, Sango-chan."

She angrily turned to face him, hands defiantly on her hips. "Will you let me know what you're on about already?! I hate it when you're mysterious! Or has that large goose egg finally went to your head?!" She gestured towards his lump.

Miroku smiled delicately. "Sango-chan...let's just say that Inuyasha has been feeling a little...amorous lately..."

Sango's jaw sagged open. "He did _not _peep the other night on purpose!"

"...He did."

"But - but he makes it a point to make every second of her life miserable!" she sputtered. "And what about Kikyo---this doesn't make sense! And - and - _hey!_" she shrieked suddenly, grabbing Miroku by the ear. "That means that YOU were there as well!"

"But Sango-chan!" Miroku wailed. "I was only looking at y-OW!" She continued to twist his ear further, causing his cheap earring to prick his earlobe.

"Now THIS should teach you to-"

"OW!! OW!! OW!!" Miroku's howls continued to resound throughout the room, causing many passerby in the street to stop and listen in wonder. Amid all of the howling Shippo still continued to slumber feverishly, his chest rising and falling steadily as he dreamt uneasy dreams...

And also amid it all a tall dark figure turned and left the window, where he had been watching the group unnoticed for some time now, ever since he had come upon their trail miles away in the mountains...

&$#

Author's Note: I give you the permission: you can now all officially lynch me now. I do have some justification, though: from what I remember from the Kouga episodes, I remember him telling Kagome that she was going to be his "woman", straight and simple. Seriously, if he wasn't even going to give her a choice about THAT, would he care whether or not he was forcing it on her?

Also, nothing has happened...yet. I'll let you wonder until the beginning of next chapter. I cut off the chapter to give a nasty cliffhanger, not to imply sex. This is also as far as the R rating will hold. If any more adult themes arise, I'll either do some heavy censoring or put the censored parts on another website and link you to it (more likely number two than number one). I can't really get more explicit without my account being in danger.

Also, I'm as curious as ever about your reactions to this, so please review. If you thought this was an absolutely wonderful plot turn, please tell me. If you didn't...please tell me about that too. I'm really not sure what kind of reaction this will garner.


	12. Electricity

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, right now I'd be sailing around the world in my high-tech yacht and literally rolling in gold.

Author's Note: OK, I am grateful that I am unscathed. I sort of expected some negative feedback (hell, even some downright flames) from that last chapter. Anyway, THIS chapter has some pretty high expectations, but I'm positive that I've fulfilled them.

At any rate, the following content is a moderate R. IF YOU GET SQUICKED BY R RATED THINGS, THE BACK BUTTON IS ON THE UPPER LEFTHAND CORNER.

&#

Kagome trembled as Kouga slowly began to unwrap the ermine blanket enveloping her body. "Kouga..._please_," she whispered faintly. "Please don't-"

Kouga, panting heavily, shook his head as he ran his hand through her tangled coal-black hair. "Sorry, princess, but when I decide, I decide for good. Now hold still..."

Kagome trembled uncontrollably as she felt his calloused hands caress her breasts roughly, as he inclined his head in order to take one into his mouth. She shuddered as she felt his pointed fangs rake against her nipple, knowing that he was due to push her down any minute. She could feel his hardness throbbing against her inner thigh, his heavy breath gently tickling her hair... "Kouga, stop it!" she shrieked one last time, struggling but to no avail.

Her stomach clenched as she watched Kouga lean back in order to begin unbuckling his belt. "Don't worry about it, Kagome," he began excitedly, "just think about our first litter of pups-"

But before he could finish his sentence, however, the fur curtain was suddenly lifted and a dark outline could be seen at the cave rough orifice, a figure that could have been the Messiah for all Kagome could have cared. Brightness flooded into the dark alcove, and an unpleasantly familiar voice spoke, a voice that was filled with raw anger... "All right, then! Come on out, you asshole! New moon or not, I'm good and ready to kick your ass till it falls off! You'll regret it for calling me a pu----"

The cave was suddenly plunged into silence. Both parties stared at one another, all of them shocked beyond words. Kagome herself stared google-eyed at Inuyasha, relief immediately coursing through her veins. She didn't care that the blanket had been ripped away and that her body was completely exposed to the both of them, that she was looking afraid and vulnerable. All that mattered was that she was going to be saved, for surely even her greatest enemy wouldn't leave her to a fate like this... Yes, there he was, towering over them menacingly, his eyes blazing like fire and his hair blacker than midnight... Wait, midnight?! _(Shit! What a time for it to be new moon!) _Kagome cursed inwardly, her heart beginning to sink again. _(What can he possibly do against Kouga like THIS?!)_

Out of all of them, Inuyasha found his voice first. "Get off her," he said stonily, an eerie calm pervading his voice. She had never seen him this spine-chilling, this deadly quiet...

"What if I don't?" Kouga shot back calmly, his hands still playing with a few of Kagome's stray strands.

"Then I'll have to kill you."

"Like that?" Kouga laughed, pointing towards Inuyasha's black hair. "In that getup you couldn't even kill one of my wolves!"

Inuyasha refused to lose his cool. "Oh, trust me, Kouga, it might be morning when I do, but I'll make sure that I get you. And when I do, it'll be the longest, slowest, most _painful _death imaginable." He walked closer, now looming over Kagome and Kouga sinisterly. "NOW LET HER GO!" he roared, his temper finally coming through.

Kouga appeared to think for a moment, but eventually did as he ordered and neatly climbed away, leaving Kagome shaken but luckily unharmed. Before anyone else could react Inuyasha grabbed her, blanket and all, and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He then turned and headed out of the room, walking swiftly towards the cave entrance, stepping lightly over the sleeping wolves and wolf-demons (though he rather would have stepped on their faces).

"WAIT!" Kagome suddenly cried just as they reached the entrance. "My backpack! I forgot my backpack!" Though cold tears were streaming down her face and she wanted nothing more than to get out of this horrid place and never come back, she knew that wandering out in the wilderness without food and water was even worse.

Though Inuyasha growled irritably, he _did, _however, set her down. "Wait here," he snarled, walking back towards Kouga's cave. "If you don't I'll throw you back in there and let him do what he wants!"

He ripped the curtain back open, snarling again as he sighted Kouga still sitting on his bed, staring at the floor stonily. "Where's her backpack?!" he spat as he re-entered the room.

Kouga pointed at it dully. As Inuyasha bent to get it, he asked the half-demon in a barely audible voice, "How do you know, puppy, that I won't send my wolves to kill you before the sun comes up?"

"If you give a damn about Kagome, you won't," Inuyasha grunted, his eyes once again blazing fury at the wolf-demon. "You idiot, you could tell as well as anyone that she didn't want you! Besides," he added darkly, his lip curling contemptuously, "I'll definitely put up a fight, even if I know I'll lose."

Kouga laughed humorlessly. "What's your motivation, Inuyasha?"

"Motivation for _what, _wolfbrain?!"

"Your motivation, you fool! You haven't even mated with her yet; your scent isn't on her! She isn't even yours to carry off!"

Inuyasha looked at him coolly but didn't answer. That was something that he hadn't quite come to terms with himself..._why _was he doing this for her, when he supposedly didn't give a damn about her in the first place?! Though at times he knew the answer, on those dark, moonless nights in the forest when he had longed to see her again, to throw away his immense pride to get what he wanted... He knew by now that it was definitely much, much more than merely getting revenge against Naraku and using the Shikkon Jewel to become an all-demon...

"See, puppy, you're too green behind the ears yet to even know yourself!" Kouga taunted. "You really ought to get your priorities straight, you know?" He laughed darkly, slowly standing up. "But any moron can see that you did this for a reason. You know as well as anybody that demons don't go through the whole rigmarole that humans do. They don't go for courtly pretenses, y'see--they just take what they want! Just like I was doing!"

"I don't _care! _Kagome isn't a demon; you were scaring the hell out of her!" He sniffed and turned to leave, always keeping the corner of his eye fixed on the wolf demon, who by now he obviously thought very untrustworthy.

As he left Kouga went on for one last punch. "Have fun trying to protect her from all the demons in that form!"

"You bet I will!" The outraged answer floated back to him a few seconds later, when Inuyasha was halfway back to the entrance.

&$

Kagome whimpered uncomfortably as Inuyasha practically gave her a concussion when he clumsily tripped over a rock. Wincing in pain as tears continually ran down her face and even onto his rough red Fire Rat haori, she didn't even bother with any pretenses of being unaffected by what had happened. It was way beyond that now...

She shifted awkwardly into Inuyasha's rock hard shoulder; it was, after all, not too pleasant when being thrown head over heels and carried like a sack of feed. Inuyasha, however, did not halt or even acknowledge that she was uncomfortable; he just continued on, on through the gorge, hardly even waylaid by the driving rain that was falling from the post-midnight sky, which was occasionally lit up by vivid forks of lightning. Mother Nature wasn't being very nice tonight, Kagome concluded as she painfully shifted her neck to look upwards; the sky was black, blacker than Inuyasha's hair, which now hung in sopping clumps and clung stubbornly to her face.

__

(That's right, his hair...) she thought glumly as a loud boom of thunder sounded nearby. _(How could I have not remembered that it was New Moon tonight?! He's human right now---and he can't defend me any more than a normal guy can!) _She shuddered at the awful prospect of Kouga taking advantage of this and coming after them, and shuddered even more at the prospect of being Kouga's mate.

__

(Oh God...I can't believe how close that was...How close I got to - to being...) She sniffed pitifully as she thought about the prospect of being Kouga's mate for the rest of her life. He might have been friendly, and he might have been strong; however...he was also boorish, arrogant, and condescending. He probably would have ended up raping her as many times as he wanted had he had the chance, and after a few months she most likely would have been carrying a litter of little half-wolves. She shuddered at the very thought. She had always known about his obsession towards her, she had just never thought he'd actually act on it, especially with Inuyasha so close.

What was she doing anyway, entangling herself with a bunch of demons in the first place? Demons were dangerous, demons were wild...someday she would get into a situation that she couldn't escape so easily. Even Inuyasha---_he _was dangerous. Not exactly dangerous in terms of hurting her, but dangerous because of the fact that he still continued to hold her heartstrings taut. In a way, that was even worse than what Kouga had done...

For even bumping and being pressed against Inuyasha's body wasn't enough to make her forget about everything. Normally it would be arousing as hell, but rubbing against a man's body was about the last thing she wanted right now. And especially if that man didn't give a rat's ass about her in the first place... Why _had _he saved her anyway?! Why now and why before?! He had practically made it a long-term goal to tell her how worthless she was, and also how ugly and whiny and dumb she was; why HAD he bothered, come to think of it?! Wasn't she just an extra one hundred twenty-five pounds to be lugging around in the dark and in the rain?! Was it because Miroku and Sango would flay him alive if he didn't?! She didn't know, she really didn't know...

Suddenly Inuyasha practically did a header into a rocky outcrop of which he had been trying to edge his way down; the rocks were getting so slippery and treacherous from the rain that they were becoming downright deadly. "Would you please LET ME DOWN?!" Kagome shrieked shakily as he righted himself and continued on. "I've been up here for over an hour, and besides, you don't seem to know where you're going!"

"Shut up!" was the agitated reply. "It's not my fault that I don't have my eyesight tonight!"

Kagome growled frustratedly into his shoulder, but he ignored it and gingerly went on. He wasn't listening to her; didn't the little twit know the danger that they were in?! Probably she did; after all, she _had _been sobbing on and off ever since they had left Kouga's cave. As much of a people person that he was nothe did know that there was no way that Kagome could have even remotely wanted Kouga's advances. No, not the way that she was still whimpering and carrying on, even after a good hour had elapsed. And he certainly wasn't going to stand it, her being the mate of that brutal, arrogant bastard... It was a good thing that he had decided to burst in when he had, otherwise right about now she'd be crying even harder than she was now...

He could absolutely KILL Kouga right about now. Kill him in a thousand long and painful ways. And it wasn't just the fact that Kouga had tried to claim her... It was perfectly within Kouga's right to do what he had done; demon instinct dictated that there was no choice on the female's part, whether they thought otherwise or not. No, it was something else...and that something probably had to do with the minx herself, he thought angrily as he tried to suppress a growl when she moved her head slightly, allowing her cheek to briefly brush the nape of his neck.

What had she DONE to him, anyway?! She had by now practically reduced him to a raving lunatic who got a hard-on practically ever time she accidentally TOUCHED him!! He had never been like this before; why now...why HIM?! And she hadn't even a clue! ...Part of him now even wanted to stop holding her by the legs and to creep slightly upward to rest on her behind...but his other half angrily chided him that she probably didn't want anyone pawing her, especially after what had just happened. And he definitely wasn't one to be like Kouga and to not respect her wishes...

"Inuyasha! PLEASE!" he heard her cry, slightly muffled from the constant rain. "Let me down! I need to rest!"

"Yeah, when I'm the one doing all the walking?!" he snarled back. "Just keep quiet and enjoy the ride! And be glad that I bothered to save your ass!" he added on an afterthought.

__

(Shit, I said ass, didn't I?! Goes to show where my mind is...) Honestly, he was getting to be like Miroku...peeping and peeking and constantly thinking dirty thoughts like he was... He had probably imagined Kagome in (various) compromising positions with him more times in the last three days than all of the days he had known her combined...Damn, she was getting to have a powerful effect on him. The fact that she wasn't even another demon, that she was a mere _human _driving him almost to the point of insanity, was downright scary. Perhaps Sesshomaru had been right---maybe he _had _inherited some of their father's less desirable traits...

Kagome was crying outright by now. "Please!" she sobbed. "Let me down! I don't care if he chases us anymore! Just please _let me down_!"

"Will you SHUT YOUR YAP?!" Inuyasha screamed back, jerking angrily as he stumbled over yet another rock. "If you hadn't decided to be so stupid then we wouldn't have gotten into this!"

Kagome said nothing in reply to this barb; she did, however, shudder and let out a choked sob. Giving out a frustrated sigh as he continued to walk on, it slowly dawned on him that she was probably in no condition to travel. She had just been almost forced upon by a wolf-demon, she still had a fresh wound that would take days yet to heal, and the unrelenting storm had her soaked. Maybe, a small nagging voice penetrated into his brain, just maybe they should stop somewhere for the remainder of the night...

It took him about ten minutes to sight an appropriate place, but he finally located a cave hewn into the southern side of the gorge, half-hidden by thick vines growing crazily over the entrance. Without bothering to consult Kagome first, he ripped away some of the vines and ploughed into it, unceremoniously dumping her onto the ground the moment he set foot within. "_There!" _he barked curtly. "Are you happy now?!"

Since all he got in reply was a rueful sniff, he growled angrily and turned away, looking for the proper materials to start a fire.

One thing was for sure, he reflected as the rain pelted on the rocks outside and as the wind mercilessly howled through the gorge, it was going to be a loooo-ooooong night.

#$&

Although she was drier than she had been in hours and she was reasonably certain that Kouga was not in pursuit of her, Kagome was more disparaged than she had been in days. Even the cheeriness of the roaring flame within the little cave was not enough to uplift her mood as she sat huddled over it depressedly, her nerves constantly wracked by Inuyasha's unpredictable mood.

He was more wild-looking than she had seen him in days -no- _years. _He may have looked angry when he had come to her rescue from Kouga, but now he looked downright terrifying. She watched nervously as he got up once again from his usual station by the cave entrance only to pace around frenziedly for about the fifteenth time in one hour. He had been doing it ever since they had arrived---his energy seemed to know no bounds as he practically walked the cave floor worn. Something was troubling him, that was for sure---but Kagome couldn't quite lay a finger on it.

She stared at him with hooded eyes once again as he, tired from the pacing, slumped back down near the entrance, staring outwards at the ink black night sky, which revealed nothing except for the occasional flare-up of forked lightning. Was he, perhaps, still a little apprehensive? Did he believe that Kouga was planning on following them? It wasn't like he could tell unless Kouga actually approached them, however---the wolf-demon's keen sight, smell, and hearing far outmatched Inuyasha's on this night, whatever either of their wishes were. If he chose to pursue them, then Kouga would have a great advantage.

__

(Kouga...) She shuddered inwardly at the name, the skin on the back of her neck prickling eerily. He had given her quite a scare, pouncing on her like that...It was a scary thought, thinking of what might have happened had Inuyasha not stormed in... _(Ugh, right now I'd probably be lying awake in his bed with his arm around me while he snored. Not a comforting thought...) _She knew enough about demons to know that they didn't operate with -um- mating habits like humans did; the males were more apt to just instinctively take what they wanted, whatever the female demon's wishes. _(It's not for me, though,) _Kagome thought glumly. _(There's only room in my heart for one person...and he doesn't even like me. Damn you, Inuyasha! Why can't YOU do that to me, not him! It's not as if I would mind...) _Though he was human tonight and his instincts had dulled, it for sure didn't make him any less sexy... She had always thought of his transformations as sort of enigmatic, something that reminded her that he was anything other than normal. Most girls would have been terrified of his sharp, dangerous claws and his pointed fangs, but she thought otherwise. To have those fangs gently sunk into her bare. vulnerable shoulder...and to have those claws digging into her back during the throes of passion...she shuddered in delight at the mere thought it.

Even as a human, though, she had to admit that Inuyasha was quite an Adonis. His coal black hair, tangled and dripping from the persisting rain... Those dark, brooding eyes, now a startling black rather than their normal amber hue... And that chest of his, mmmm... now it was completely bare, as he had removed his outer haori and the shirt underneath to dry them near the fire. It was quite a sight, flecked with raindrops and accenting darkly with his rosary, which he had still been unable to remove over the years...

"What are you looking at?!" Inuyasha shot out grumpily, glaring absolute daggers at her as she snapped back to life.

"Um---um---nothing?" Kagome squeaked, her cheeks flushing as she realized that she had been caught.

His reply came in the form of a livid growl which immediately shut her up. She sighed and averted her eyes to the fire, which seemed to be the only sign of life within the otherwise desolate cavern.

Why was she so turned on by him---_why?! _He constantly belittled her, he was ruder than rude to her, and worst of all, _he absolutely hated her guts! _Why did she still feel so hopelessly entangled with him yet, when their life paths had diverged years ago?!

Little did _she _know that Inuyasha was practically thinking the same thing as he sat heavily against the rough rock wall. He too was downright depressed at this turn of events, and had gone to show for it so far for alternately pacing and sulking the entire night. It would have been strange had someone had been able to hear their thoughts---thoughts that were similar, if not the same...

(This sucks. Now she's gone and noticed that there's something off. Argh, I hate myself, I really do. Why the hell did I go off to sulk when I KNEW that Kouga would pull something like this?! I oughta be took out and hung for what I did.)

A crescendo of thunder suddenly boomed, illuminating the entire cave with a vibrant, momentary flash of light. Kagome shuddered as she scooted closer to the fire, trying to dry her blanket out. _(Can it get any worse than this?! I'm alone and stuck in a cave with Inuyasha, Sango and the others might be dead by now, and I don't even have any clothes except for this goddamn blanket, which I can't even take off and dry because, of course, Inuyasha's here!) _She tried to make a compromise by shifting as much of it as she dared towards the fire, exposing her bare, damp legs into the half light.

(Don't you DARE adjust that blanket any higher, you minx! Dammit, you're driving me nuts! Are you taunting me?! Are you doing it on purpose?! It's not FUNNY, dangling in front of me what I can't have! Good thing I'm not demon tonight, otherwise I might-)

__

(Huh, what's the problem with him anyway?! Does he miss perfect little Kikyo? Is he stressed because he hasn't seen their perfect little pups in about a week?! Does he miss the wild, no holds barred sex that she has with him every night?! )

(Sleep, that's what I need, sleep... I can't even keep my damn eyes open anymore. Maybe that's for the best, though, because all that I dream about every night is Kagome Kagome KAGOME! Kagome near me, Kagome beside me, Kagome under me, Kagome on top of me! She even gets into my dreams!)

__

(He is SUCH an ass! Why couldn't I have fallen for a nice boy, like Hojo?! At least Hojo would have the capacity to love someone besides Kikyo!)

(Shit...why couldn't I just have kept my sights on Kikyo and not this argumentative little minx?! Kikyo was more ladylike, she was talented, AND she was a hell of a lot prettie - aagh, who am I kidding? I want THIS one!) He growled frustratedly, sulking like a little boy who was just out of paw's reach of the cookie jar.

__

(Yeah, GO ahead and growl at me, dog boy! Like that's gonna fix anything! Well, that is, unless you come over here and let me reach into those big red pa---eughhhhhh! )

(Geez, these pants are way too small.)

__

(You don't have to growl at me, you arrogant bastard---really, you'll have your chance to kill me if we manage to get the Shikkon Jewel! I know that's what you'll do---when you become a REAL demon, then I know that you'll not merely hate me but actually be out for my blood...)

(Goddamn it, I HATE having human blood! I'm freezing! _Thanks, _Father, for having it bad for a human woman! You even had to go and wed her. And look at me now---humans are terrified of me and real demons laugh their asses off at me. I'm just a whelp who swings his papa's fang around.)

Kagome sighed as he rolled over on her side in order to expose the damp side of the blanket to the flames. _(Who knows, maybe it's fate. He wants Kikyo. I can't be Kikyo. I couldn't be happy trying to BE Kikyo. It's as simple as that.)_

Inuyasha too turned to the side, almost wistfully staring at the rain outside. (Y'know, maybe it's better this way anyway. Every time I open my mouth to say something to her I end up insulting her. I don't know the first thing about women---I'd screw up with EVERYTHING.)

He laughed humorlessly at the surrounding darkness. (Like how I've done with everything so far...)

$&&

Another long, grueling hour had passed, and it was now, or so Kagome judged, around two or three in the morning. Her eyes red-rimmed for want of sleep, she had been trying for the longest time to drop off, but her body refused to listen. She was just too taut and tense. The floor was hard, she was still a little wet, and most importantly of all, Inuyasha was still sprawled near the cave entrance, completely soaked but still wide awake. _(What's his point, anyway?! Wouldn't he be more than happy to hand me over to Kouga and let him do what he likes? )_

(Oh, that's right. The Shikkon Jewel. And then when he gets it whole, he supposes that he gets to kill me, or maybe even slowly kill me by throwing me back to Kouga. OK, I get it, it all makes sense now...)

And, speak of the devil...

She sat up only to find that Inuyasha had quietly gotten up and was now right across from her, warming his hands near the fire. Their eyes locked intensely, and Kagome could feel herself reddening as his gaze became more and more belligerent. "_This _is all your fault," he finally snarled, giving her a look that would have frozen a lava pool in hell.

"What?!" she replied guardedly, inwardly groaning that another one of their fights was getting ready to start up yet again.

"THIS!" he exploded, his arms waving vaguely all around the cave walls. "If it wouldn't have been for YOU, then we'd all be halfway to Naraku's castle by now! Why did YOU have to go and get injured?!"

"Oh, so now it's MY fault, is it?!" Kagome snapped, the angry heat rising within her like an active volcano. "D'you think I just snuck off, _happened _to find a whole freakin' flock of the Birds of Paradise, and tell them 'hey, why don't you come and attack us? Oh, and why don't you wound me too, so that Inuyasha can get pissed off at me later'? You ought to transfer your anger where it should _really _go!" she screamed, the unfairness of the situation striking her like a brand.

"Well, what about Kouga?! That was YOUR fault!"

"My fault, really?! My fault that he practically raped me?!"

"Well, perhaps you were LEADING HIM ON!!"

"Are you calling me a slut?!"

"Yeah, maybe I am!"

Unable to hold the flow any longer, the dam burst and tears began to run down Kagome's face. "I - I can't believe you!" she sniffed, turning away from him. "You're such an arrogant bastard!" She stopped to choke back a sob, and then continued, "You really haven't changed, have you?!"

"What if I haven't?!" was the angry reply.

"You're still so absorbed with yourself that you fail to see what's going on with others around you!" Kagome choked, refusing to meet his eye. "If you had - if you had just been honest with me..." She closed her eyes, unable to speak any further.

Inuyasha momentarily looked confused, but he shook it off and shot back furiously, "Well, _first _SOMEONE needs to be _loyal _so I can BE honest!"

"You don't even make any sense! It was YOUR fault that I left you in the first place!"

"Runaway!"

"Backstabber!"

"Slut!"

"Bastard!"

"Harpy!"

"Liar!"

"Coward!"

That did it for Kagome. Turning upon Inuyasha furiously for one last time, she spat deliberately, "That is IT. _No one, _and I mean NO ONE, calls me a coward. I'm leaving now, Inuyasha. I'll WALK back to the well if I have to. Good night." And with that she gathered up her blanket and stormed out of the cave and into the dark rain.

Inuyasha stared at the flickering flames for a moment, feeling completely stunned. For the second time in his life, he had absolutely no idea what to do... _(So this is it, huh... I opened my huge gaping mouth and I got just what I deserved. Looks like this is it...)_

Something in his brain, however, firmed up his resolve and pushed him to action. _(No, this is NOT it. I can't let it end like this! I'd never forgive myself! No...) _Swiftly he walked out of the cave himself, having made a big decision...

He found her not too far away, stumbling in the dark on the sharp rocks with her bare feet. With that he grabbed her shoulders, and, upon hearing her gasp, he looked her right in the eye, saying softly, "Please don't go, Kagome..."

"Why shouldn't I?!" was the angry response. "You've hurt me just one too many times, Inuyasha!"

"No, you don't understand..."

"What IS there to understand?! ...OK, give me ONE good reason for me to stay here and put up with your crap!"

"Well, because, because I-" He didn't bother to finish his sentence. Instead he pulled her into an embrace by the waist and kissed her soft pink lips hungrily.

Author's Note: Grins devilishly Again, another cliffhanger! But hey, at least Inuyasha finally realized what was important! How will Kagome react? Until next time...

Inu Sweet Pup Ears: The stalker shows up again in chapter 14. As for the fluff, well, my lips are sealed! :) It WILL exist, considering the ending of this chapter, it's just a matter of when. The Inuyasha/Kikyo/waterfall thing, unfortunately, won't be fully resolved until near the end. Kagome will just have to trust Inuyasha for the time being. There will be a lot of hints and allusions towards Kikyo's whereabouts and motives, but it won't be out in the open just yet.

Dark Painting: I'll definitely do my best to keep the updates coming as they are. And sibby4ever is one of my readers, in fact.

AngelOfLight: Actually, it's for sure; I am posting anything too racy on another site ), in fact. I haven't had anything bad enough to edit yet, though.

SakuraBaby: I hope the end of this chapter put a smile on your face! :) It gets brighter from here, trust me... Lots of fluff, then there's the upcoming lemon...

earthshine411: Hehe, I'm glad I'm safe...for the moment. Kouga actually shows up again much later on, but I'll try not to spoil it for now. And yes, I agree that he's a little too fixated; I really believe that he would do it if he had the chance. As for Sango, well, time will tell... Unless I do some heavy editing (which I do, this story is constantly changing), it might not be blatantly obvious, though.

szmadad: I agree with a lot of things that you said. First of all, I'm a big Inu/Kag shipper myself, and I won't settle for any other pairing. I also concur with Kagome being a little too naive. Feudal men, and especially demons, are NOT going to go for that 21st century sensitivity crap that she's used to. So in a way it could even by argued that Kouga doesn't even think he's doing anything wrong. And yeah, no communication and assumption-making are probably Inuyasha and Kagome's main problems; they even do it in the canon! And you also make a really good point...about her sleeping in his room. I really didn't think about it that way when I wrote it, but I should have, it's such a good idea!

superstitious: Hehe, I walk a lot every day, so I really REALLY need my toes. I 'spose I WILL have to keep it up. :)

Laura: Your predictions are uncannily true. I think this incident is what put Inuyasha over the edge and made him realize that he might lose her forever. Yeah, and I know all about mediaminer. I have the story on there already, in fact, but I post there much more slowly than here (it's like on chapter 10 there right now). By the time I get to the lemon I'll either catch up really quickly on mediaminer or make it a hidden chapter until I do catch up, making the chapter accessible only to the 

Also thank you to Chione, ChibiKenshin6490, Draechaeli, madelein bOwman, krazifull2748, Anime-Devil-101, Carly, Delonwethiel, and MyNameIsRini. You guys kick major ass! :)

Remember to review, please! :) I'll be very happy if I get the kinds of reviews that I got last chapter!!


	13. The Dam Bursts

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and if I did, would I be writing FANfiction for it?

Author Note: This chapter is -um- interesting; let's put it that way. There's heavy lime further down and it's a moderate R, so again, if you get squicked by R rated things, the back button's in the top lefthand corner. I rated this R for a reason; if anyone thinks otherwise, please e-mail me and tell me why so I can re-edit.

Kagome could have absolutely died of shock. Not only were Inuyasha's lips tenderly brushing hers, but he had done so after their largest blowout yet as well. _(What's going on? I thought he hated me,) _she questioned to herself as she looked into his incalculably dark eyes. He grabbed her shoulders almost painfully in response, allowing a mere second to go by before one of his hands reached up to brush her dripping hair.

He only reluctantly pulled away for breath about ten seconds later, his equally soaked hair grazing hers as he did so. "What are you d-" Kagome began, but she was cut off when he dove in for her again, this time almost violently, her body gladly crashing into his. She allowed herself to enjoy it this time as he slowly forced her mouth open, his tongue mingling with hers forcefully, and as his hands firmly wrapped themselves around her curvy waist.

__

Their first kiss... For the first time ever, she was _this _close to Inuyasha...it felt as wonderful as she could have imagined, ten times better than anything Hojo had done, hell, who _was _Hojo, anyway?! She could have cared less as Inuyasha kissed her in the dark gorge, the patter of the still driving rain sounding akin to a tinkling waterfall... Everything felt perfect, except-

"You called me a slut!" she spat before she knew what she was saying the minute he pulled away. She didn't want to ruin the moment, but...

He stared at her gravely for a moment, his hands firmly clamped upon her shoulders, and then slowly replied, "Forget it. I didn't mean it. I was just pissed---at Kouga."

"But you _still_-"

"Listen, forget it, OK?!" he interrupted, almost angrily. "I just - I just - oh I don't know - I guess I was afraid that you might have actually wanted it."

"_What?!_" Kagome said indignantly. "I most certainly did NOT want his - his - his slobbering wolf-love! You're paranoid, you know that?!"

"Well, how was _I _to know?! I'm not a damn fortuneteller!"

__

Oh boy. Here they were, having just shared a tender, intimate moment, and less than two minutes later they were quarreling like they always had. _(Well, at least the bone-crushing tension is all gone_,) Kagome thought tentatively. _(...Or is it?)_

"Listen," she said firmly, "let's just go back to the cave. Neither of us has had _any _sleep, and I'm ready to drop off standing."

They soundlessly turned and headed back for their smelly, dank little pit, which seemed cozy and welcoming in comparison to the storm raging outside. Kagome, blanket and all, made a beeline for the fire, but Inuyasha hung back, staring outside. _(Oh, not this,) _she inwardly groaned. _(Was that kiss for nothing, just to keep me here?! Is he back to his old self now?!)_

However, her fears were grossly unfounded, as Inuyasha swiftly joined her five seconds later, sitting down so closely that their bodies brushed. She managed a sidelong glance at him as he sat next to her in an awkward silence. _(Look at him... He obviously wants to be by me, but he looks uncomfortable. ...Something doesn't seem right. ...Was he REALLY as close to Kikyo as I perceived?! I - I have to know...)_

"Inuyasha?" she asked him bluntly, reddening slightly. "What happened to Kikyo?"

There was a good ten second silence after her question, but finally he spoke, her eyes locking with hers. "...Kikyo's in the past, alright? I don't even know the whole story myself, and I really don't want to talk about it... But remember this: even _I'm _not dumbassed enough to go and run off with Kikyo when I - when I'm with you."

"But why were you so angry at me when I came back? I didn't do it intentionally..."

"I felt like slime, all right?" he replied shortly, looking away. "I felt like a total sleaze, doing what I did. And I didn't want you to hurt again, so I-" He swallowed, unable to finish his sentence. "That's the real reason I did what I did. I'm not mad at all that you ran off and stopped looking for the jewel shards; in fact, I would have been surprised if you _hadn't_."

Kagome stared at him for a minute. She didn't know - she didn't know the story, nor did she care to know... But somehow she felt that she could trust him, despite his past transgressions... In fact, she _would _trust him. "That - that's good to hear," she said aloud, not able to help stifling a yawn. "But right now I'm tired - let's sort this all out in the morning."

"I'm tired too. If that dimwitted-wolf was going to come after us, then we would have saw him hours ago. But we've gotta leave tomorrow morning-"

"I know, I know... But let's not worry about it. At least you'll be a demon again by morning. And anyway-" she added, squinting at the unwelcoming, rock hard floor. "I'll be having enough trouble trying to sleep on this damn floor."

He stared at her for a moment, but then, without so much as a word of permission, he grabbed ahold of her, lying her on her back and reclining himself. She found herself firmly held in place by his muscular arms, against his hard but very comfortable-feeling body (which was still deliciously shirtless)... She had the damnedest feeling that she was going to sleep well tonight, she noted as he lightly gave her one last gentle kiss on the cheek...

Inuyasha smiled to himself as he held her tightly, her fragrant hair fanning out against his face. Now he had her for the night...how could he have known even two hours ago that it was going to end up like THIS?! Maybe he should do crazy, impulsive things more often...

Kagome sighed happily as she allowed the wisps of slumber to overtake her. She could hardly believe what had happened, but she now felt at peace, she could take on anything, absolutely anything...

She dreamed differently that night...

&&

__

"-desired me, yearned for me-"

"-to throw it all away?"

"Listen, I-"

"-can't hurt her anymore! She's managed it all for awhile now, but-"

"-care about the likes of her, when you-"

"-was it ever real? People change-"

"-different times-"

"-different places-"

"-but I loved you-"

"-foolish demon boy..."

&&(##

Yawning groggily, Kagome opened her sleep-filled eyes with some effort, having seemingly slept hard. _(But not enough,) _she thought sleepily, letting her eyes close once again. _(Huh, it must be noon and I'm still---WHAT?! NOON?!)_ She momentarily panicked, her eyes starting open as if she had had a terrible nightmare. There was much to do, even if it _was _summer---she had to help Grandpa with his half-cocked herbal remedies, blessing and bundling them as was the custom of the Higurashi priests, and then she had to drive Sota to soccer practice, and then---

And then she saw the dazzling early afternoon sunlight shining into the cave opening.

"Wha---" She stifled a yawn, shaking her head groggily as she fuzzily recalled what was going on. It was a strange dream that she had just had; only vague shapes floating around in a hazy netherworld, their voices fading and coming back like a badly-tuned radio, were clues as to what her brain had conjured up... What had it meant? Her memories of it were somehow disquieting... And then there was what had happened the night previous... _(Was that real? Did Inuyasha REALLY kiss me?! Nah, I must be whacked-)_

She tried to sit up, but the pair of strong arms holding her in place refused to budge.

__

(My God, it WAS real,) she thought in awe as she inclined her head slightly to stare at Inuyasha's sleeping form, which was now looking back to normal. So it HAD really happened...she had practically expected to wake up in the morning only to find that it had been a dream filled with wishful thinking.

He was quite a beautiful creature, demon or not, she concluded as she continued to gaze at him, even if he DID have a grip of steel. In fact, she greatly preferred his half-demon form to the human one... _(I wonder if he knows how cute he looks when he sleeps...and if he snores.) _She giggled softly as he snored on, his fangs poking out of his slightly open mouth. _(Nah, he'd never admit it. He'd kill me if I even suggested it.)_

However, as much as she would have liked to have been snuggled up against him all day, she realized that they'd both better get up and get their asses in gear. Miroku and Sango were probably far away from here, wherever they were... _(And hopefully not lying dead up on the mountain somewhere,) _she thought depressedly as she continued to try to wriggle out of Inuyasha's grasp. No such luck, she thought as his clawed hand dug into her arm almost painfully. She'd have to wake him up...

"Inuyasha!"

"Inuyasha!"

"Inuyasha!"

She realized that normal means couldn't be used to wake him up after the third time. Wriggling her head slightly so that his silver hair entangled with hers and that her face was close to one of his dog ears, she garnered some breath and screeched loudly, _"INUYASHAAAAAAA!!!!"_

"Dammit, Kagome!" came the groggy reply. "I _hear_ you already! Whaddaya want?"

"For you to remove your arms!" she hissed angrily. "They're like the damn Jaws of Life, holding me like that!"

"Oh, right," he murmured, delicately pulling away from her. She forced her way up to face him, almost laughing when she caught real sight of him. He was staring at her, looking slightly dazed, one of his ears (not coincidentally, the one she had yelled into) drooping pathetically. Somehow she got the sneaking suspicion that she was the only one whom he would allow to see him like this...

"We'd -um- better go," she said nervously, suddenly feeling embarrassed by his presence. Dammit, she was feeling like she was in middle school, blushing and acting shy like this!

"Yeah, probably," he replied, rubbing his eyes. "Looks like it's way past noon out th-WHAAAAT?!" he shrieked, suddenly galvanized into action. "It's afternoon?! We've gotta get out of here! Why didn't you wake me up?!?" he chided her angrily, throwing on his shirt and haori.

"I dunno, I guess I just liked you as my own personal pillow."

He stood up, ignoring her comment as he steadily padded towards the cave entrance. "C'mon, c'mon, get your stuff already! Let's get the hell out of here!"

$&&

They both stumbled out into the strong afternoon sunlight about five minutes later, squinting as the day's brightness caused them to become momentarily blind. Unlike the previous night, the weather was calm as it could be in the mountains, warm with a slight westerly breeze running along the mountaintops. "Where are we headed, anyway?" Kagome asked Inuyasha, who was standing further down the gorge, cautiously sniffing at the breeze.

"We'll get out of the gorge going that way," he explained, pointing to the end where the gorge winded around a corner and out of sight. "I smell water over there, and besides, wolfbrain -er- Kouga is down the other way." (He had added that last bit after a vicious look on Kagome's part).

"All right then," she replied crisply, walking up next to him. "Let's hurry. But then again..." She smiled evilly as a wicked idea formed in her mind. "_Why _would we need to find more water...WHEN THERE'S PLENTY HERE!" Without warning she suddenly kicked up one of the numerous mudpuddles gracing the gorge, splashing a bewildered Inuyasha with mud and gritty water.

She thought she had gone too far when he murderously glared at her in reply, but relief washed over her when he calmly broke out into a smile and quietly stated, completely dripping and soaked, "Think you're smart, eh? ...THINK AGAIN!" Soon she as well was entirely doused in the grainy goo and was desperately running in the opposite direction, trying to avoid yet another kicked-up puddle. She bent down to grab some real mud and somehow managed to hit him in the face, but he just picked up speed and started to throw mud at her himself.

"Heyyyyy! No fair!" she giggled as a handful of it whistled past her ear. "You're a demon!"

"Demon or not, you started it!" he yelled back, throwing yet more mud.

"Race you to the water!" she called happily over her shoulder as it hit her back.

"You're on!" he heard her cry behind her, a little too close for comfort. Seemed that she'd better try to redeem that C she had gotten in Track last spring...

&(&(

The water Inuyasha had smelled actually turned out to be a pristine, sparking little waterfall, falling from the top of the gorge down into a small, shallow pool. "Bathwater, finally!" Kagome shrieked in sheer elation, temporarily forgetting the mudfight. "Look, Inuyasha, there's a waterfall too!" She ran up to the pool's edge, immediately cupping her hands and greedily drinking its crystal clear water.

Inuyasha, who had been lagging behind in order to play around with her, grumpily strode up next to her, a ball of mud still encrusted in his hand. "We are NOT stopping here just so you can bathe!" he demanded, scowling at her reflection in the pool. "_We_ have a to-do list!"

She retorted, looking up from her handful of water, "Oh, just hush, cranky! What's wrong with being a little clean, especially after _you _decided to throw mud at me?"

__

"Me?!" was the outraged reply. "That was YOU!"

"Well, STILL-"

"Forget it!" he shot back, starting to walk around yet another bend ahead. "Stay here while I go scout ahead! Have the water bottles filled up by the time I get back, and NO bathing!"

"Hmph!" she sniffed the minute he was gone, beginning to untie the string she was using to hold her blanket up. "And that comes from a guy who bathes rarely...if _ever_!" That comment seemed to hold true in her experience, as never in her times with Inuyasha did he seem to go off to bathe, but that wouldn't exactly explain that deliciously musky, clean scent that had seemed to emanate from him the previous night... She shook her head, jumping into the pleasantly fresh water without thinking twice, her head completely immersed in the clouds.

Now she was even _more _confused about Inuyasha. Just twenty-four hours ago it had been all cut and dry (ie: that he absolutely HATED her), but now it wasn't so simple. What HAD been his motivation to kiss her, anyway? Did he really, truly have feelings of some sort for her...or did he just want a warm body to snuggle up to at night, regardless of his hatred for her? His previous actions towards her were still going unchecked, the ones concerning Kikyo not the least. They had such an odd relationship the way it was, one minute quarreling and kissing the next. She was sure that he had never acted that way towards Kikyo... Was there trouble looming on the horizon? The problem _was_, she reflected as she lightly massaged her hair with her hands, her long absence from the Feudal Era had caused any knowledge of Inuyasha's recent actions to go down the proverbial toilet. What _had _he been doing all of this time, anyway? Had he spent it with Kikyo, or had something else hap-

"HEY!" a familiar, outraged voice vented nearby. "Didn't I tell you NOT to go in there?!" Sinking down to her knees near the waterfall so as to not show off her "assets", Kagome watched as Inuyasha stamped into view, looking unconditionally pissed as he realized that she had jumped in the pool anyway. He stopped at the water's edge, crossing his arms and scowling. "We don't have TIME to be screwing around like this! Get out so we can be out of this dump by dark!"

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him defiantly. "Turn around and let me get clean first!"

He rolled his eyes frustratedly. "All right then, if you want to play hardball...then I'll have to carry you off _bodily!"_

Kagome shrieked angrily at his sheer daringness as he hopped into the pool as well, clothes and all, and closed in on her quickly, not allowing her a chance to escape. She backed into the small hollow that the waterfall had carved into the rock over the years, but that just caused him to trap her more effectively. Soon he was just inches away from her, smiling wryly as he prepared to heave her up over his shoulder. "You really ought to listen to demons, wench, they could carve you up in a second..."

The next thing she knew they were kissing again, both of them getting sprayed by the waterfall's drizzle but neither of them caring. Kagome let out a muffled moan in the back of her throat as he pressed her more tightly against the cold rock, his mouth locked almost forcefully against hers. Shifting slightly against the rock wall in order to fit more comfortably, she allowed him to trail down to her chin, to her collarbone, down to her breasts... She let out a gasp as he nipped at one lightly with his fangs; he ignored her and continued on, his hands untangling themselves from her hair and going further down to the small of her back, which tingled delightfully as his calloused, clawed hands came into direct contact with her soft, sensitive flesh.

"I - I hate you," she panted unconvincingly, her hand timidly running from the nape of his neck up to one of his doggy ears, which she gently tweaked.

"No you don't," he growled in reply, his mouth again meeting with her own. He roughly pulled her closer as his tongue delved in deeper and deeper; it seemed to Kagome that now he was emitting a low purr from his throat, as if deeply satisfied...

He was removing his haori and shirt underneath now; he threw them into the water carelessly, never staying out of contact with her for more than a few seconds. She could feel his bare chest against hers; it felt warm to the touch as she stroked it, streaked with cold droplets from the waterfall. She could even feel his hard-on throbbing against her stomach; it was then that she realized where they were both going. Nervous and excited at the same time, she pressed against him more, allowing him to nuzzle the crook of her neck. _(Oh my God, I can't believe I'm going to do this...) _she thought as he fumbled with the string of his pants.

However...

"SIT!" Her demand rang loud and clear across the gorge, causing Inuyasha to hit the pool bottom with a loud splash. He sputtered and floundered for a little bit, surprised at her sudden action, but he then composed himself and got back up, shaking his wet head like a dog. "What are you-"

Kagome was still panting heavily. "Do you - do you realize what we were just gonna do?!" she asked him, dropping down into the water as she began to feel embarrassed about standing naked in front of him. She still didn't know if she was doing the right thing; right at the moment she would have been happy to let him screw her senseless, but---

"Yeah, I know what we were doing, but-" he began, but got cut off by the austere look on her face.

"We were about to have sex under a waterfall," Kagome started quietly, not looking him in the eye. "I don't know about you, but I'm not sure if I want to do this right now. This isn't the time or the place, Inuyasha. Right now our friends could be dead up on the mountain somewhere." She looked upwards sadly, the bright afternoon sun cruelly blinding her eyes. "I - I _want _to do this, but I - I just CAN'T right now." She suddenly turned around ashamedly, trying her damnedest to choke back the tears threatening to spill out.

"H-_hey_!" She heard his voice ring at her concernedly from behind. "Don't cry! It's not that bad! Uhh---_please_?" he attempted to beg as he wallowed up to her, his hand closing around her shoulder. If there was anything in the world that he couldn't handle, he reflected, it was Kagome crying. He remembered the first time she had cried, during their first battle with Sesshomaru; he had felt powerless when the tears had started to pour out of those big chocolate brown eyes. Demons he could handle, demons with their sharp claws, poisonous fangs, and rancid breath, but not crying!

"Come on," he said quietly, tugging at her shoulder. "Let's take a nap or something. We can travel during the night." She turned around and nodded silently, allowing him to lead her away from the waterfall.

Onshore they picked up their clothes, Kagome putting on her "dress" and Inuyasha laying his shirt and haori out to dry. They then both proceeded to sit near the pool, cooling their feet in the clear water as they dug through Kagome's pack to find something to eat. Kagome couldn't help but smile sadly as she proffered a handful of dried meat to Inuyasha; Sango was definitely the practical one of the group, as she had packed practically all of the bags to the top with food. Would they ever find Sango, she and their other friends? She hoped to the fates that they would; there was no way that the two of them could take on their task alone...

After their short meal they then agreed to take the rest of the day off until nightfall; they had been delayed for so long now that a few hours wouldn't make much difference in the search for the others. Kagome moaned softly as Inuyasha slowly snaked his arms around her, giving her one last lingering kiss before he lay down beside her. _(I'm glad he's not mad,) _she thought gratefully as she snuggled up against him affectionately. _(I'm just not ready yet. I'm just not sure yet..)_

(Dammit, Inuyasha! Why can't you just be predictable like Hojo?!)

Author's Note: Well, that's all for now... You'll be seeing later on that the conflict slowly shifts from their relationship to Inuyasha's intention of becoming a full-fledged demon. This could cause a big problem later on...

earthshine411: I'm opposite of you. I loathe Kikyo under any circumstance. I would wish that she would die, except that -well- she's already dead. And actually, your guess is mostly accurate. I won't say much, but Kikyo did underhandedly betray him by exploiting one of his main weaknesses.

Inu Sweet Pup Ears: The lemon is later on, but not on this site (I will give the URL for it when I get to that point in the story). The stuff at the end of this chapter is about as racy as I'll ever get here.

Laura: They will...I'm just afraid of making everything perfect right away. They've been angry for so long, after all. And you've never gotten a response before? I usually respond to people if they have a question or make a really good point or argument. I've had a lot of reviews for this fic that have made me think, actually.

AngelOfLight: Yes, mediaminer is where I'm putting it. Part of the fic is on there right now, in fact, but it's way behind there. I'll probably have to catch up.

szmadad: Hojo will make an appearance later on, speak of the devil... I just needed a situation where Inuyasha and Hojo interacted; I have a feeling they wouldn't get along. The feelings stuff will come in bits and pieces; there will be no one huge conversation where they sit down and talk everything out. At this point I guess they sort of know that they have a mutual attraction but each isn't sure what the other really thinks of them. xx They really need to communicate, don't they?

Also thanks you to kagome, Draechaeli, xXDemonicPrincessxX, Haruka Ketchum, Kagome-reincarnation, MyNameIs Rini, Madelein BOwman, jmama521, Delonwethiel, Dark Painting, SakuraBaby, made, crazyForvampires, Anime-Devil-101, bibbiu, SamuraiPrincess01, and ChibiKenshin6490 for reviewing. Thanks!!!!

And, of course, remember to review. Now I'm REALLY getting happy about the responses I'm getting, especially those long, in-depth ones that are telling me what I'm doing right or wrong. I'm trying to get better!!


	14. Relief

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, I really think I'd, um, _know _about it...

A/N: A bit more fluff, among other things... This is also a major plot chapter, however. In fact, I can safely say that this is the point in the story where the plot becomes uber complicated. I have written it so that not everything is revealed, but if you ARE confused or find a plothole, then please tell me about it. I'm not completely 100 percent sure that everything fits together.

$&&(

Kagome felt momentarily confused when she finally awoke from her long nap near the pool. Inuyasha was no longer curled tightly up against her, and the brightness of the day had started to wane, as the sun could now be seen peeking just above the western rim of the gorge. And then there was the shouting---the intense shouting. Inuyasha seemed to be close by, arguing voraciously with someone else, though who the someone was Kagome didn't have the scarcest clue. With the exception of Kouga, who could have possibly known their location in the gorge?...

Her eyes widened in shock as they scanned over towards the other figure, who was standing rigidly near the other end of the pool. It was Sesshomaru! Yes, there was no mistaking it; no one she knew quite had the stature and form that Sesshomaru did. He cut an intimidating figure, standing at least a good six inches taller than Inuyasha, and wearing a magnificent silken robe trimmed with vivid, exotic furs. His fine silver hair whipped slightly with the increasing mountain winds; his red marked face was set in the usual superior grimace whenever he happened to be near his "half-blooded" little brother. _(What's he doing here?!) _Kagome thought anxiously, slowly flopping down onto her stomach and pretending to not have woken up. _(Oh, please don't fight us! Not now! Inuyasha can't even use the Tetsusaiga at the moment! ...And don't egg him on either, Inuyasha! Your big mouth always seems to get us in the worst knots!) _Her heart beating like a scared rabbit's, she lifted her face slightly in order to hear their conversation clearly...

"-you are obviously still a fool, little brother, meddling in the affairs of demons such as you are! Our time may be fading and the era of humans may be upon us, but never will we allow a filthy half-blood such as you to do our work! Now I advise you to go back to your forest before-" -with that he unsheathed his gleaming yellow whip, crafted from the poisonous tail of an especially potent chimera demon- "before you get hurt."

Kagome gulped as he gave off a practice lash. She had completely forgotten about his whip---the thing had caused them several problems on different occasions, and though Inuyasha's claws were sharp and powerful, they did no good at such a long range. _(Oh, please back off, Inuyasha,) _she pleaded silently, biting her lip as she stared at his face, which was white and livid. _(Just this once, PLEASE back off! I'd rather have your pride hurt than have your body permanently maimed!)_

Inuyasha snorted derisively. "Well, what about YOU, you traitor?! You're Naraku's nearest dupe, I hear, his fine 'High General'. How can you be so 'fine' if you're really serving a half-demon yourself?!" He smirked as Sesshomaru glared at him hatefully but would not answer. "Well, answer me!" he roared, taking a step towards his older brother. "You've got to have a reason, or are you just an idiot?!"

Sesshomaru bared his fangs slightly. "I've _told _you already countless times, Inuyasha, temporarily allying with the enemy is the only way that my demons can eventually overthrow him! Naraku has become quite crafted at his arts over the years, already he has overrun the North! How can YOU and your ragtag band _possibly _expect to even fend off such a formidable foe?!"

"I don't know, all right?! All I know is that I need the Shikkon Jewel! I set out in the first place for that thing, and I'll be damned if I don't have it in the end!"

"So you still have that foolish delusion of becoming a demon, don't you? You aren't DESERVING of being a demon! Unfortunately," Sesshomaru sneered, "you have a heart. Feelings. Useless emotions that get in the way of your thinking. Feelings that will get you killed in the end!" He brandished his whip again, causing several large rocks to splash into the pool. "Now begone and quit getting in our way before I am forced to kill you!"

Inuyasha refused to budge an inch. Crossing his arms, he shifted his balance and said quietly in a voice barely audible to either party, "You really think that being enslaved by Naraku is the answer?"

"I don't _think, _I _know, _little...brother. Had my court not allied with him, then we all would have suffered. It may cost us of ever recovering the Shikkon Jewel, but we shall wait and bide our time...get him when he is off his guard."

"But you _know _what he's gonna do with the Jewel! I know and you know, Sesshomaru, you cold bastard! You KNOW that he will enslave or kill all the humans!"

"Oh yes, oh yes..." A cold smile snaked across Sesshomaru's face, a smile that caused Kagome to shudder violently from her vantage point, despite her distance. "All that and more... Personally, _I _wouldn't mind ridding ourselves of the human race by diluting their blood with demon stock... We'd create an _invincible _army of half-demons; invincible to our foes yet dispensable to the purebloods. After overthrowing Naraku and establishing my own rule, I would then have no rivals to challenge my dominance."

Inuyasha's fist shuddered on impact with a large boulder. "You _monster_! So THAT'S what you've been up to! I oughtta-"

"Just resign yourself to your fate, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru stated quietly. "Go live in the forest and stop putting your faith in these human 'friends' of yours---your biggest weakness was having _feelings _for the poor, pathetic creatures. Look at them. And look at _you_---such a flawed creature yourself." He quietly pointed towards the Tetsusaiga, which Inuyasha was holding aloft despite its worthlessness with one long-nailed hand. "You cannot even _activate _that thing anymore, much less lift it! What are you going to do, Inuyasha? Die needlessly?..."

"You bet I would," Inuyasha growled darkly. "I'm not going to listen to your cra-"

"_STOP!!" _Kagome's voice suddenly burst out into the tension. Unable to take it longer, she quickly hopped up and ran between the two quarreling brothers, effectively cutting them off from one another. "STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!!" She turned to glare angrily at Sesshomaru, trying to pull up her blanket as she did so. His expression momentarily flitted from extreme shock to an interested smirk, but he did nothing to harm either of the pair. In fact, all he seemed to be doing was sniffing lightly at the air. _(What's he doing? What's he smelling? This is getting creepy...)_

"Get out of here, Kagome!" Inuyasha snarled. "He's dangerous!"

However, Kagome, extremely stubborn to a tee, refused to budge for either of them. She continued to stand there resolutely, refusing to allow them to harm one another, being a human shield of sorts... The seconds ticked by, turning into minutes, the minutes themselves slowly dragging by as if the hourglass of time had a rather large pebble stuck in it... Finally...

"Interesting," Sesshomaru finally said lightly, laughter quietly escaping from his lips. "How very interesting..."

"_What's _interesting?" Inuyasha snarled, trying to close the gap between himself and Kagome. He did not like the look of Sesshomaru at the moment; he had never before heard his brother laugh like that, nor did he like the icy gleam currently in his eyes...

"Interesting," he repeated quietly, staring at Kagome scrutinizingly. "Perhaps there is hope for you after all, Inuyasha...though perhaps you'll pay for your transgressions with mortal blood in the end."

The half-demon growled, suddenly grabbing her and dragging her away from the cold-looking dog demon. "Just shut up and leave, Sesshomaru! You're making no sense as usual!"

He merely raised an eyebrow in response, and, to the surprise of all, began to turn around and walk away, calling over his shoulder, "As you wish...little brother. And I believe that you need this." Something small and shiny flew out of his hand, tinkling and bouncing until it skipped into the bottom of the shallow pool. "Make good use of it...And _please_ , for the sake of everyone, do NOT take the girl to Naraku's castle. Her presence within Naraku's is quite dangerous for not just the two of you, but the entire land. She might find herself in unpleasant...circumstances." And before the others could speak he had already vanished around the bend...

"Inuyasha, LOOK!" Kagome shrieked, pointing towards the pool in an almost frightened manner. "It's - it's -"

However, Inuyasha was not looking, nor did he give a good damn. He had dropped to his knees in pure shock, the point of the fully-transformed Tetsusaiga sticking into the ground like a monstrous obelisk...

$&((

Kagome sank to the ground dazed. "I - I can't believe this!" She threw the small section of the Sacred Jewel given to them by Sesshomaru next to the restored Tetsusaiga, an equally surprising development to the return of the powerful relic itself.

"Neither can I," Inuyasha replied truthfully, gripping the sword as if doing so would retain its power. "Two of our problems gone at once!"

"But why did he help us?" Kagome questioned, looking to the darkening sky for inspiration. "I mean, what's in it for him, exactly?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "If there's anything I know about Sesshomaru," he answered her gravely, "it's that he's unpredictable. He could have had a reason, or he could have just done it on a whim." He squinted at the bend suspiciously. "Either way, I don't trust him!"

"Neither do I," Kagome admitted, leaning back against Inuyasha's torso, which was a delightfully warm alternative to the increasingly chilly mountain winds. "But how did he get ahold of those shards in the first place? I know there's only four or five of them, but... He can't be collecting them for Naraku, can he?"

"We're both dog demons," he replied matter-of-factly. "If I can't sense 'em, then he sure _as hell _can't sense 'em either. Some demons can, but only certain types. No, someone else must be helping him..." He trailed off, eager not to share his current theory. Instead he squeezed her hand, which felt small but warm wrapped around his large, calloused one.

"Rin..." Kagome's whisper came as softly as the wind, but nevertheless it came clearly audible to Inuyasha's keen ears.

He shifted closer. "Rin?..."

"That little girl we saw with Sesshomaru last time we saw him. She was definitely a human. ...Remember? He seemed so protective of her. Maybe _that's _why he helped us like that. Maybe, just maybe," she added hopefully, "he's starting to learn that humans aren't such a bad thing after all, and he doesn't want Naraku to win."

Inuyasha sniffed. "And maybe, just _maybe _he figures that this will be the quickest way of getting rid of us and commandeering the Tetsusaiga! I still don't trust him, whatever you say! Sesshomaru, even when he's not trying to kill you, isn't exactly an upstanding citizen, you know!"

She ignored him, gently touching the shiny hilt of the sword, whose black pommel stone gleamed in the dying sunlight. "And why did your sword transform all of a sudden? You didn't even use it during the battle!"

"That's because I _haven't _been using it," he answered truthfully. "It hasn't transformed for over three years..." He looked away contemplatively. "It never did---not after you went away..." His next sentence came out almost garbled, spoken so fast and awkwardly that Kagome could barely understand it. "Whatever I've said the past couple of days, Kagome, I _did _miss you."

She squeezed his clawed hand gently, tears coming to her eyes at his final admittance. "I know you did... And so did I."

They were just leaning over to kiss when suddenly several voices rang out from the end of the gorge. "Inuyasha! Kagome! Is that you?!"

"Oh, shut it, Miroku, of course it is! Ohhhhh, I can't believe it, THEY'RE ALIVE!"

Both absolutely mortified, Inuyasha and Kagome leapt away from each other as fast as they possibly could, their faces going scarlet red. Kagome could have sworn that she could have heard Inuyasha hissing under his breath, "Great timing, _monk_," but she decided not to pursue it further.

The group was within a stone's throw away from them now. Kagome noticed with great relief that everyone was there, safe and sound and unhurt (or as far as she could tell in the failing light, at any rate). She laughed nervously as Kirara bounded up to her with a purr, rubbing against her blanket-clad legs. "Uh---you guys! You're alright! So -uh- how've you been?"

Sango peered curiously at the duo, immediately looking for any signs of strife between the two. "Actually, Kagome, the question would _be_, how have YOU been?"

She tittered nervously again, edging away from Inuyasha, who had a dumbfounded look on his face. "Oh -uh- everything's been -uh- just peachy! Just peachy! Inuyasha's just been a laugh riot, hehehehe..."

"See, what did I tell you?!" Sango hissed to Miroku under her breath. "He's probably been haranguing her constantly!"

"Tell me about it," Miroku whispered back. "There's enough sexual tension here to cut with a knife!"

"Tension?" a fully conscious Shippo, perched on Miroku's shoulder, began. "What's tha-"

"Hush!" Sango hissed, deftly shutting the young fox's mouth. "Anyway," she went on, straightening up to look at them, "we have quite an interesting story about how we got here. In fact, it has everything to do with your brother Sesshomaru."

"_What_?!" the half-demon sputtered, marching right up to Sango. "_Sesshomaru?! _Tell me about this!"

"It's a long story," the ex-demonslayer explained, throwing down her bedroll and pack. "And I would prefer to be telling it after a meal and over a campfire. ...If you please?"

&(&(&

Miroku belched satisfyingly as he threw an apple core into the fire. "Ahhhhh, that's better! Much better!" He looked over towards Kagome. "You see, you two were the lucky ones with the food packs. We've had nothing but Sango's old dried fish to go on for the past few days. I will _never _eat fish again," he added gravely, taking a long swig of sake.

"Yeah, well, it was better than the food at the inn," Sango said listlessly, shifting through her pack in order to find another apple for Shippo. "We ended up in some little mountain hamlet a day's walk from here, after I shot down the demon carrying Shippo and found that we couldn't locate you."

"Yeah! It was soooooo cool!" Shippo piped up, pointing at the large lump on his head. "The bird dropped me and I went into a coma! I didn't wake up for three days!"

"It was not _cool, _or whatever you call it," Miroku said, suddenly quite grave. "We thought for awhile that you wouldn't wake up." He cleared his throat nervously. "And then there was Sesshomaru..."

"What?! What about him?!" Inuyasha demanded harshly, his proud amber eyes gleaming at him from across the fire.

Sango looked up. "He approached us after two days. I can't explain it---he must have been watching us for some time. Anyway, he demanded to know where you were and said that he would spare our lives if we could take him to you."

"That _rat BASTARD!! _I _knew-_"

"Hold your tongue for a minute if you please, I'm not done! _Anyway, _we then were forced to lead him into the mountains to where we had fought the battle. He picked up your trail and we continued to follow. We went through some more forest and down into this gorge-"

"-where we promptly got picked up by Kouga's gang," Miroku interrupted smoothly. "I have to say, Inuyasha, Kagome...you must have really done something to anger him. He said some very naughty things about you two...Um, what was that he called you again?! An ass-ramming, ofal-eating, fucking muttface, was it?"

Inuyasha growled warningly, but Kagome secretly kicked him and replied coldly, "Well, _he _was the one responsible for the problem, and not us. Anyway, going on?"

"Er---yes," Miroku went on, shifting nervously. "While we were talking, or arguing, rather, Sesshomaru went on ahead. We walked on after we finally managed to rid ourselves of Kouga, and then-" -he gestured grandly around the campfire- "there you were!"

"You seemed rather surprised about Sesshomaru," Sango added concernedly. "...Did you see him or something?"

Kagome then unbrokenly explained their story ever since they had been separated up on the mountain, embellishing especially on her injury and conveniently leaving out her "romps" with Inuyasha and the encounter with Kouga. The three seemed especially surprised when Kagome held the now-purified part of the Sacred Jewel.

"Well, _this _is a fair bit of news," Miroku said in a high voice. "And you don't know why he gave you the Jewel or how he got it?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I'm pretty sure that he originally was going to give them to Naraku, but I've got a few theories of my own about why he gave it to us instead. _Damn, _it's freezing out here," he added, rising to grab his haori and shirt, which were still lying by the bank. Miroku gave him a rather pointed look, shifting between him and the still-transformed Tetsusaiga, which was still lying point-down within their circle, but no one else noticed or cared.

"Is that what the girls in your time period are wearing these days, Kagome?" he asked her, gesturing towards her blanket.

Kagome reddened visibly, but she tried to keep up her front. "Um---let's just say that it was a gift from Kouga and leave it at that," she explained haltingly, the rest falling silent as it became apparent that she was going to say no more about the matter.

Sango pointed towards her knapsack. "I've still got your nightgown if you want it. I'm sure it isn't fun wearing that." However, she quickly shut up when an approaching Inuyasha gave off a slightly feral growl, though whether it was about Kouga or the nightgown itself Kagome hadn't the faintest idea.

"Anyway, what now?" Kagome asked, looking around at everyone. "I'm not sure if we should go straight to Naraku's with the Jewel Shards. Sesshomaru might have given them just in order to trap us."

Miroku poked his staff into the ground next to Tetsusaiga. "Granted, though, that we're now slightly better off than we were before. At least we now know that he has to go through us in order to get the entire Sacred Jewel."

"Maybe we should go to Kaede," Shippo suggested. "She seems to know a lot about Naraku."

Sango immediately ratified the idea. "It might be a long walk, but least we'll get some advice from an outside source. And besides, I need to see if Kyoko is behaving!"

"It'll take close to three days, maybe," Inuyasha grunted. "This side of the mountain's a little easier than the other." He looked up at the others. "Really, I don't care. Maybe the old bat'll pick up something that we don't."

Kagome bounced up happily. "So it's decided then! Who's all with me on starting off now?!"

Everyone got up immediately, packing all of their things and snuffing out the large fire. The sheer chatter that everyone gave off went to show that everyone was quite excited about going back to the village.

"The sooner I get to sleep in a warm bed, the better!"

"Yay! Another trip!"

"Kyoko _better _have been a good girl..."

They all grabbed their stuff and set off down the gorge, Miroku striding in the lead as he remembered the way up the mountain best. They were determined to get back up to the forested section of the mountain by midnight, when, they all agreed, they would then rest for the remainder of the night. The going would be tough, but they could easily get back to the village within two to three days if they strictly followed their travel plans.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha curiously as he fell back to walk alongside her, purposely brushing her hand as she did so. Craning her head slightly towards him so as to not attract attention, she managed to whisper, "Remember, we're supposed to hate each other. I really don't think the others are gonna take to this too well, so let's try to keep a low profile for awhile, OK?"

He barely nodded, speeding up as Shippo decided to arrive on his usual perch during travel, which happened to be his shoulder. "_Ahhhhhhh_," the little fox sighed happily. "My favorite place...Now maybe I can get some slee-_hey_!" He suddenly stopped short, sniffing Inuyasha's hair vivaciously.

"Hey _what?!" _Inuyasha cut in irately, craning his neck towards the annoying little demon.

"I know this smell! It smells like Kagome! Just what have you two been doi-AHHHHHHH!!" He suddenly bounced off the dog-demon's shoulder, having gotten "accidentally" hit by Inuyasha's fist. "Hey!" he wailed, climbing up onto Kagome's shoulder instead. "That wasn't very nice! What'd you do THAT for?!"

Y&&()&

As promised, they set down camp within a small grove of conifers around midnight. Without Kagome injured and without other things to sidetrack them, they had been able to make good time, beginning the tedious mountain climb while somehow avoiding Kouga's cavern and his wolf guards. Completely bone-weary, the travelers set down their bedrolls around a small fire, snuggling up to the bright glow of warmth in order to ward away the cold mountain winds, which would only worsen as they ascended.

Kagome sighed satisfyingly as she plopped down onto her quilt near the fire, her aching body glad for the much-needed rest. That afternoon in the cave with Inuyasha seemed so long ago, she thought wearily, when she lay snuggled up with his arms around her like he had... She wished that would have been possible tonight, but she already had a sinking feeling that none of the others would take too kindly to this new development, especially since she had felt so duped even just days ago... It would take time and energy to get them to understand, and she had so little of either.

"Hey!" an indignant voice yelped into her ear, causing her to jump almost a mile. "Get outta my spot! I was there first!"

Kagome turned around only to catch sight of a scowling Inuyasha, who looked as if he had a stick lodged up his ass. How DARE he!! First he had admitted his interest in her, for the most part claiming her as his, and NOW he was acting like the usual pain, bossing her around like it was nothing to him! "HEY!!" she screeched indignantly. "_I _was here first! You can go find anoth--" She suddenly stopped short, finally realizing what was going on as she noticed the other interested faces watching their argument. He _wanted _them to watch; he was trying to stage a fight so that the others wouldn't let on!

"You RETARD!!" she screamed, finding her composure. "Go find somewhere else!"

"Harpy!"

"Asshole!"

"Wench!"

"Prick!"

"All right, HAVE your stupid spot!" he whooped rabidly, throwing up his arms as he marched out of the conifers and into the rest of the woods. "See if I care!"

She stuck her tongue out at where he disappeared, getting up to stomp in the opposite direction. "I'm leaving!"

"FINE!!" She heard his angry voice echoing back at her through the bushes.

$&

Within five minutes they had managed to circle around and meet in another clearing a safe distance away from the campsite. "That was hilarious!" Kagome giggled uncontrollably, leaning her head against Inuyasha's broad shoulder as they both sat under a spreading oak. "They really don't suspect a thing!"

"Yeah, well..." Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably as he tried to control the raging impulses in his brain that were screaming "woods" and "alone" and "random, unrestricted sex". "They won't buy it for long, I know that. As much as I tell them that all the time, I know they're not stupid."

She looked up at his thoughtful eyes, which sparkled vivaciously in the summer moonlight. In this rare moment he actually seemed to be in a tranquil state of mind, sitting here under the tree with her...the angry, feral look that she had seen twenty-four hours ago in the cave had completely vanished along with their denial of each other. In fact, now he looked downright cute, his human and demon features contrasting sharply everywhere on his face, making him look like some sort of hybrid between boy and man. Right now he looked more peaceful than she had ever seen him thus far except in sleep, the wind lightly ruffling his silver hair and his amber eyes set in a sedentary, melancholy expression... He looked so satisfied, yet so sad...yet also so full of pride mixed with self-doubt. This was the Inuyasha she had always known was hidden somewhere under that angry, grumpy exterior... Her mind flew back to the incident earlier that day in the pool. The rough way that his lips had met with hers, how his hands, slicked over with water, had passionately gripped her hips...

"I - I've always liked you, you know, whether you knew it or not," he suddenly announced, his arm tentatively snaking around her back. "I fell pretty damn hard right at the start, but I didn't really get it until Kouga came into the picture. I just was afraid to act on it. Really afraid..." He trailed off, his grip around her getting tighter.

"But why?" she questioned him softly, drawing in closer so that her hair brushed his cheek. "You must have always known how I feel about you..."

He looked at her seriously. "You care about everyone so much, Kagome... I always thought it was just in your nature. I didn't give it a second thought." He swallowed, his claws tightening so that they lightly poked into her back. "And everything was my fault; I just kind of let it happen. I _knew _that I wanted you, but I tried to deny it. I figured that I had obligations to fulfill whether I wanted them or not, but in the end-" -he hung his head, refusing to meet her eye- "-those _obligations _just ended up hurting you."

"Obligations? You mean Kikyo, right?"

He sighed tensely. "Yeah, I guess you could say that... I screwed up bad, allowing Naraku to trick me. So then I thought I'd do what I'd failed to before and at least try to protect her from his schemes, but even THAT backfired when I - I -" He trailed off in frustration, not wanting to mention the scene under the waterfall in words. "And then I saw the look on your face just before you ran off; it felt just like a hard kick to the nuts. Then I KNEW that you felt what I did, but dammit, it had to take something like THAT for me to find out! And then it was too late..." He hung his head again, looking quite melancholy.

There was silence for a small spell, but finally Kagome responded, her delicate hand reaching up to arrange his hair. "It's all right, Inuyasha," she told him softly, playing with one of his silver locks. "It's all right now; we're together, even if it took us three whole years. I know that you're telling the truth; I can see it in your eyes..."

And indeed she did. They were quite watery now, tinged with what she knew was regret. The two of them were so pressed so closely together that she could feel his heart beating; it pounded like a scared rabbit's. His hand, bone dry and rough, gripped hers as if it would never let go. They stared at one another silently, for a split second each knowing exactly how the other felt, with no inhibition, no restraint...

Suddenly Kagome drew back sharply. "I'd better go," she said nervously, dusting herself off and getting up. "It's really late, y'know." She had no idea what exactly she was afraid of; all she knew was that their restraint and self-control was starting to corrode away fast. And something was telling her that she wasn't ready to jump into anything yet... "And I'll leave you a place by the fire," she managed to add smartly as she started to walk away.

"Tch! You can have it!" he spat, causing her to crack a smile as she headed back to camp. Despite that bratty and self-absorbed exterior that he always seemed to radiate...he truly _did _care. How had she failed to notice for the longest time?...

Author's Note: Well, that's all, folks! For now, anyway...it'll be about another week until chapter 15 comes out. And chapter 15 is, well, different. And different meaning that -well- there's going to be some humor in this fic for once.

AngelOfLight: Actually, they're good ramblings. Personally, I have no idea what Inuyasha was thinking, but I'm pretty sure too that Kikyo didn't fully trust him, otherwise she would have been less cautious.

ChibiKenshin6490: Yeah, I've pretty much written him as a grump up till now. He actually begins to soften up before long, though, although it's pretty slow in coming.

Laura: Actually, the physical tension's coming pretty soon. The way I see it, Inuyasha's probably very naive about women, and Kagome, well, Kagome's only casually dated Hojo. This gives them a lot of room to be mortified or embarrassed about one another. The next two chapters are gonna have a lot of this, actually, with Miroku, Sango, and Shippo trying to find out what's going on and with Inuyasha and Kagome miserably failing to keep their relationship a secret. It'll be interesting...

earthshine411: I actually get that impression too sometimes. I don't know if _I _would start something with a known cheater, especially. Luckily, though, there were other factors influencing that whole waterfall scene, whether Kagome knows it or not. And I'll definitely try to explain everything, although it'll practically be the end by the time the whole, undivided truth slips out.

angelica incarnate: I'm really grateful for your review, actually; it seems to me that you're very experienced with writing. And I 100 percent agree about fics with the instant "let's get together in chapter one and make babies" kind of thing. I think that readers were kind of put off with the fact that I didn't introduce Inuyasha until chapter 5, but at least I feel satisfied with the fact that I didn't rush things. As for Miroku's character, I'll think I'll try and keep an eye on it now; unfortunately in this chapter he was all serious for once. And I know I'm rambling, but I should probably tell you that I actually know what what's gonna happen to Kikyo. What a lot of people don't know is that I'm 90 percent done with this fic; between posts I basically proofread, add scenes that I feel are needed, and change mistakes that readers point out. It's a good thing that I'm actually that far into the fic, cuz' with my courseload and everything I barely have the time to get it posted every week. Phew!

SamuraiPrincess01: Actually, um, Kouga WILL appear again. And they _will_ fight, though not with each other. Eep, I should keep my mouth shut now!

Crystal Twilight: Heh, that means I'm doing my job...the whole Kikyo thing SHOULD be confusing you right now. As for the backpack, er, congratulations, you found a chink in my writing. Though I suppose I can justify that by saying that she could have been carrying it on her shoulders on the way back from the coffee shop in chapter two, and not necessarily because she was going to school. Heh-heh, as for her being able to return back to her own time, hehe...she might not realize that right now, but I do... Bwahahahahahaha...

bettychan: Yeah, I'm definitely behind on mediaminer. I just don't have time to post both sometimes. I'm planning on showing how Inuyasha got the scar on his face in a flashback coming up, pretty soon, actually. As for Tetsusaiga, I hope this chapter sort of answered your question. The real reason he couldn't was because Kagome had left him; only when he stopped denying his feelings could he wield it again and start protecting her.

Also thank you to SakuraBaby, Delonwethiel, Demon eyes, brigurl, kagome, Inu Sweet Pup Ears, Draechaeli, sibby4ever, Aejavu, aznguard1anang3l, MyNameIs Rini, Anime-Devel 101, twidget, and crazyFORvampires for reviewing. Thanks!!

And again, whether it's concrit, positive, or hell, even negative, please review. As I said last chapter, I'll be very happy if I get the amount that I did this time...


	15. Homecoming

Disclaimer: The great media mogul who owns Inuyasha I be NOT.

Author's Note: I can see that you had a lot of questions about Sesshomaru! Ahem - I think I'll give a recap to clear things up:

A lot of people commented that Sesshomaru being allied with Naraku just doesn't match up. They're darn right. Sesshomaru _is_ currently in league with Naraku, although not willingly. It is more out of fear and self-protection, as Naraku might seize his realm if he refuses to cooperate. Being the Lord of the Western Lands, he had to make an important decision at some point: to either fight or ally with Naraku. This, however, has its consequences; it means that he is now his subordinate, and must follow orders. He sort of has the same goals as Naraku, but HE wants to be the one in charge; therefore he is biding his time in order to overthrow him. Although the reason he gave Inuyasha the remaining Jewel Shards is unclear, Inuyasha suspects that Sesshomaru gave them away so that Naraku might be overthrown without dirtying his own hands.

Don't worry, though, for the moment I've purposely meant for some of it to be confusing. It all ties together in the later chapters.

&(&UY(

Red.

The color red was suddenly everywhere. Red was obscuring his vision, red was pumping through his veins... The leaves of the flailing trees, normally a vibrant green, were now tinted red, as was the sky, now looking bloody and apocalyptic.

He could feel it coming on again, slowly but surely eroding his self-control and sense of humanity. His father's blood boiled up within him, clashing angrily with his mother's; he was powerless to do anything as his muscles hardened, his fangs grew longer and sharper, and as his cool amber eyes instantly changed into cruel, sanguine ones. He tried to grip the Teutsusaiga in one last attempt to regain control, but the sword clattered uselessly onto the earth, now unable to give its owner strength.

Although he had not experienced near-death ever since the fateful night at Naraku's castle, he had been transforming more lately...and what was more, those transformations were becoming increasingly longer and more painful. He would often wake up on the ground after yet another restless, bloody night, dazed and saddened. His only hope was to remain in the forest; if he ever lost control in front of Miroku, Sango, and their newborn child, he would never be able to forgive himself.

A guttural howl rose in his throat as his claws gouged deeply into a thick tree trunk; he needed BLOOD, even if it had to be his own... The need to hurt something, even himself, shone strong in his heart. His last sense of self fading into nothingness, he allowed one of his claws to imbed right across his face; immediately a bloody line began to trickle down, right across his eye... He allowed his tongue to run itself across the drops of blood flowing freely down his face, feeling sated for the moment.

Before his mind went completely, he thought one last thing as his last shred of humanity flickered and went out. Eyes half-closed, he stared at his bloody claws, his stomach turning as he thought of one person. A person whom he'd cared about deeply. A person who had been able to take him for what he was; someone who didn't want him to change. A person whom he'd betrayed---although that betrayal hadn't been intentional.

(I - I'm sorry, Kagome...)

&&(&()

"Oh, come on!" Kagome pleaded to the thus far unrelenting dog demon. "It'll just be for a few hours! You _can't _keep me from going back home!"

Inuyasha scowled and sat on the lip of the well, refusing to look at her as he stalwartly continued to decline her request. "_No! _You'll take forever with your - your _girly_-stuff, and we don't _have _that kind of time! Unless I come along to make sure you don't take a century, _you're _not going anywhere!"

"Oh, geez!" she huffed, already dropping her backpack down ahead of her. "There's a _reason_ that my friends all call me the school tomboy! Now just let me get back, get some fresh clothes, and talk to my family!" She glared at him accusingly. "You _do _at least care that my family knows where I am, right?"

"No!"

She growled frustratingly, shooting him a glare from behind that could have melted arctic ice. Whether they had their little secret or not, he still could terribly vex her like no one else, and about the most trivial things. What did it _matter _if she went home for a few hours or not?! It wasn't like she was going to abandon him or anything!

"We've been through this already, Inuyasha! You _can't _come along! The last time you came along Grandpa tried to exorcise you, remember? Just let me get things done by myself!" There was _no _way that she was going to allow Inuyasha to come and baby-sit her; every time she had so far she had always ended up in some sort of embarrassing situation, usually due to her brother Sota doing something or other. And besides, she wasn't in the mood for all of the "would you hurry UP's?!" and "what's THAT for's?" and "geez, you're slow's!" that always seemed to be abundant when her annoying little dog-demon was around the house. He might be like no one else could to her, but their relationship hadn't changed THAT much so that he wouldn't argue with her constantly!

Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest yet again, but he was cut off as Miroku, Sango, and Shippo came marching up, now all relieved of their heavy packs after heading a short way back to the Houshi residence. "Honestly, are you guys _still _at it?!" Sango rolled her eyes as she shot Inuyasha a disgusted look. "I would have thought that Kagome would have been gone by now!"

"She is _not _going without me!" Inuyasha repeated stubbornly for about the sixtieth time. "She always takes forever!"

Sango rolled her eyes again as she racked her brain for a solution. "Alright," she started cautiously, "how about _I _go along with her?! Her grandfather probably won't try to exorcise _me, _would he?"

"But-"

"But nothing!" she snapped, climbing into the well with Kagome as the two waited for Miroku to toss the Jewel down at them. "You and the others go ahead to Kaede's! It's not like we'll be gone forever!"

"And don't you _dare _try to follow us, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled upwards at him, giving him one last "SIT!" as they disappeared down what she always jokingly referred to as the "rabbit hole".

Q#&(&(&(&

"Tch!" Inuyasha sniffed haughtily to Miroku, rudely hawking a loogie down the well as he scowled at it for about the fortieth time. "Who does she think she is anyway, ordering me around like that?!"

"She's Kagome," Miroku replied steadily, leaning back onto the lip of the well next to him, "and Kagome was never one to take orders, especially from you."

"Hmph!" the half-demon spat, sniffing and looking away.

"You _could _do with being a little nicer to her, though, Inuyasha... One more mishap and she might _really _leave for good."

"I'm not being nicer until she's nicer to me!" he snarled, still refusing to look the monk in the eye.

Miroku wrinkled his brow, noting the uncharacteristic reddening and the obvious distress that was creeping on his fierce-looking face. Could it really be true?...First there was the Tetsusaiga transforming again, and then there was the fact that he was shirtless when they had found him and Kagome, and he usually only did that when injured. Added to the way that he was acting now and the fact that they were at least speaking (though in argumentative form) to each other again -well-?? Could there have been _more_ to that little peeping tom incident the other day?

"Nah," he muttered softly, looking in the opposite direction.

"Nah _what_?!" He positively jumped as the half-demon angrily brought him to attention, glaring at him with his turbulent amber eyes to the degree of scariness.

Miroku laughed nervously. "Eh---nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

"Tch! That's _it_!" Inuyasha tiraded irritably, completely ignoring Miroku as he glared down at the well bottom. "I'm going! I don't care if she sits me thirty times!" He stood up, scowling as he realized that he wasn't so much irritated by the fact that Kagome would take awhile as the fact that she had won the argument. He would show _her!_

"How are you going to get there, might I ask?" Miroku asked idly, crossing his legs.

"By these stupid prayer beads, you moron!" Inuyasha snarled, flicking at the accursed rosary that Kagome had used so many times in order to "sit" him. "Those wards obviously don't work anymore; otherwise I would've been hurled about thirty feet into the air just by SITTING on the well!"

He turned around to leap down, but he was stopped by Miroku's hand clamping down on his shoulder. "May I come along?"

"_Why?!_"

"I've never been to Kagome's era before. It might be of interest."

The dog demon rolled his eyes but relented. "_All right. _Grab onto me---_not my hand---_and let's go!"

&I(

After a short, uneventful reunion with the members of her family, Kagome led Sango upstairs to her room, which had thankfully been left untouched to Sota's lootings. "Is your family always like that?" Sango asked the other girl confusedly, sitting down on Kagome's bed.

"Like how?" Kagome replied absentmindedly, grabbing her backpack and beginning to stuff clothes in it.

"Are they always that laid back about you constantly in danger? Though he allowed me and my brother to aid the demonslayers during raids, my father would have been worried sick if I had went off alone."

"Mom doesn't like it, but she doesn't have much of a choice," Kagome said frankly as she dumped the entire contents of a first aid kit into a compartment. "Grandpa is the only reason that I'm able to go; he says that I've got to because of my family's ceremonial duty to the shrine." She laughed humorlessly. "That's why I didn't let Inuyasha come along to harass us. Mom can't stand him; she's thinks that he's leading me around by the nose!"

Sango sighed disgustedly. "Be _glad _that he didn't come. He's been such an ass towards you lately; honestly, how did you stand him all that time when you were alone with him?"

"He didn't say much," Kagome answered her honestly, pretending to be absorbed in folding her clothes. No, he HADN'T said much, not while he had been kissing practically every part of her body, anyway, she recalled wistfully. They hadn't so much as brushed against each other the entire journey back, not wanting to arouse suspicion from the others. As much as Sango and the others wanted to keep her from being hurt again by the ever unpredictable dog demon, the fact that he was within arm's reach yet so unapproachable was getting to be sheer torture...

Sango looked critically towards Kagome's ever-growing backpack. "Well, at least he's behaving..." She trailed off, debating whether or not to voice aloud what Miroku had told her in the mountain inn a few days' previous. ...Was there a chance that Inuyasha was smitten with Kagome, despite his overtures towards Kikyo? And even so, should she know? As far as she was concerned, doing what Inuyasha had done was enough to constitute never speaking to him again...

&(&(&)(

"Well, Inuyasha..."

"_Well WHAT_?!" Inuyasha barked as he single-handedly jumped out of the Bone-Eaters' well.

Miroku grinned as he leaned against the wall of the shrine. "Well, we're here. What now?"

"Whaddaya mean?" the still irate dog demon snapped, heading for the entrance. "We find Kagome and tell her to hurry the hell up!"

"But _why?!_"

"Why NOT?!"

Miroku sighed, trying to figure out the best way to either teach Inuyasha a quick lesson in tact or to blackmail him into telling him what was going on. "She's only been gone for five minutes," he explained reasonably, tagging along after him out of the shrine. "At least give her the chance to pack her bags...or would you prefer to spill the beans about what has been going on lately?" (He obviously had chosen the latter of the two.)

Inuyasha started discernibly and ended up sitting against the outer shrine wall in a huff. "Fine...you win. ...But _nothing _has been going on!" he added quickly, scowling and looking away.

"Whatever you say," Miroku replied lightly, sitting down as well and taking the opportunity to get a good look at Kagome's yard. It was quite fascinating, really, to take a look at the same area where his house was hundreds of years later...

However, his look-see and Inuyasha's good sulk was immediately and rudely interrupted when suddenly a shiny red convertible roared up into the yard, causing the duo to start in alarm and to stare curiously at the sight awaiting them...

&&&&

"I tell you, Hojo," Ayumi was telling the driver of the vehicle imperiously, "with your looks, your sensitivity, and _this _new set of wheels-" -here she proudly patted the car's leather interior- "-there's no way that Kagome WON'T take you back!"

"You really think so?" Hojo asked her nervously, smoothing back his already perfect hair in the rearview mirror.

"I _know _so," the girl replied in a know-it-all tone, nudging her friends on either side of her so that they all murmured in agreement. "I don't know what was up with her the other day, but we're on a mission to make her realize that YOU are the man for her!"

Hojo, however, wasn't convinced. "But what about her bipolar disorder? And her rheumatoid arthritis? Maybe it's nothing against me, but-"

"Pftttt!" Eri waved it all away with a flick of her wrist. "That only means that she needs you all the more! To make her depression melt away like arctic ice in the tundra!" she went on dramatically, spreading her arms wide. "To kiss her tears from her glaucoma all away! To rub her feet when she is doomed to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair! When she needs you, Hojo, you'll be there, and _that's _what counts!"

"Yeah!" Hojo said confidently, grabbing onto an expensive bouquet of long-stemmed roses that Yuka had been holding for him. "Yeah..." He climbed out of the car, staring down at the ground ruminatively. "But what about that other guy you were talking about? Think she's now with him?"

The three girls stared at each other nervously behind Hojo's back for a second, but Eri managed to regain her composure and stated poisedly, "Oh, that was awhile ago, Hojo... There was time when you first started dating her that we thought she had a crush on someone else, but she doesn't seem to have it anymore."

"And besides!" Yuka piped up. "Kagome said that he was - he was-"

"-a rude, arrogant, condescending bastard!" Ayumi supplied happily. "He wouldn't stand a chance against you anyway!"

Feeling more reassured, Hojo smiled as he shut the car door and waited for the girls to climb out. "Do you guys have my therapeutic sandals?"

"Yup!"

"And my herbs and vitamins?"

"Double-yup!"

Hojo smiled thinly and ran a delicate hand through his medium brown hair as visions of an ecstatic Kagome kissing him wildly in response to his smooth moves bounced through his head. "Let's go take the fort, then," he said grimly as they set off for the house.

&(&O(U(

"SOTA!!" Kagome screeched wildly as the person in question barged into her room as usual. "Does the word 'knock' ever make sense to you?!"

"Well, it's not like you ever do anything top-secret in here _anyway_," her annoying little brother quipped snidely as he filched a peppermint from her candy dish.

"It's not that!" she snapped, looking up from her second bag. "What if I had been studying?! What if I had been naked?! What if I ha-"

"Naked, eh? Planning on doing something with Inuyasha, are you?"

"I'd _never _get naked in front of that arrogant twat!" Kagome lied through gritted teeth (though her face was now redder than a tomato). "And besides, Inuyasha's not here! He's back in the Fedua---hey, wait a second..."

"Yup, you guessed it!" Sota affirmed almost joyfully. "He's right outside!"

"I don't believe you!" Kagome scoffed, throwing a handful of flimsy undergarments into the top of a suitcase. "I TOLD him - no, ORDERED him - to stay!"

"But he is! He's with some other guy-"

"I STILL don't believe you!"

Sango, who had hitherto been sitting quietly on the bed almost teary-eyed (as during the exchange between brother and sister she had been quite eerily reminded of the some of the spats she had gotten into with her now late younger brother), suddenly piped up as she stood up to look out the window. "No, Kagome, he's not lying," she said, squinting at the two small figures sitting near the shrine. "He and Miroku must have hopped the well."

Kagome gritted her teeth as she zipped the overflowing suitcase. "URRRGHH, he's _impossible_! I _told _him to wait, I TOLD him to stay..." She broke off into a spiel of incoherent but quite vehement mumbling.

"Sota!" she finally barked, standing up shortly and causing a pile of clothes to flop onto the carpet. "You go down there and tell him that he may _not _leave the area of the shrine! Not ever! And then-" -here she gestured grandly at the two plump bags and the overstuffed suitcase sitting on her bed- "-you take these down to him and tell him that _he's _carrying them _all _the way to the village! Or _else!_" She flopped back down onto her bed, her eyes closed and her nose snootily up in the air.

Sota opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it and obeyed, grabbing all of her luggage and grunting obligingly as he managed to cram it all through the narrow doorway and shuffle out of sight.

Sango smiled, rolling her eyes as she turned away from the window. "Let's hope that that scares them off."

"It probably won't," Kagome grunted, going for her next and final piece of luggage. "We're probably doomed to be sitting here and listening to him bitch about how much I pack in about five minutes. And it wouldn't be the first time, either..." She sighed aggravatingly, remembering only in too full of detail what had occurred the last time Inuyasha had set foot in her room...

"Oh, it's not Inuyasha that I'm talking about," Sango replied dryly, pointing towards Kagome's askew underwear drawer. "It's Miroku. He'd have a field day if he could get into that."

&&Y(&(

Sota chuckled slyly as he dragged the three pieces of luggage out the screen door. He normally would have been predisposed to refuse lugging Kagome's stuff even an inch, but this matter was different indeed. A good opportunity like this only came once in a lifetime, and he was going to be there to witness it... Hell, they hadn't even noticed that Hojo had arrived yet; his sister's friend had either been unable to or just plainly did not see the shiny red convertible sitting near the shrine.

"Heh, I can't WAIT to see this!" he muttered to himself as he headed towards the shrine. Inuyasha and Hojo, in the same place at the same time, AND both liking his sister... At least he knew that Hojo did, at any rate, and that Inuyasha _probably _did... Why _else _would he ever ask questions about her that only a little brother would know like he had?! _(Has she had a boyfriend before?) _(Nooo, I don't think so.) _(Think she likes me?) _(Well, she sure gets upset when you're fighting with her!) And then the big one... _(Does she sleep naked?) _(Sometimes she does, but she'll probably bite you.) Wheesh, even _feudal _boys were perverted, he had concluded!

Personally, _he _was rooting for Inuyasha, since he was so strong and brave and seemed to be the only one who could handle Kagome's violent temper (in fact, he seemed to like it). However, how Kagome was going to take it all yet remained to be seen, hehehe...

$&&(&(&

The room was clouded with the hazy perfume of incense, but nothing, not even the temporary loss of sight, could perturb Sesshomaru. Walking steadily across the room, his feet barely touching the ornate carpets gracing the floor, he clenched his jaw as he made sure to look nowhere but straight ahead. He sensed the shadowy figures flanking and looming up beside him, their swords and spears at the ready; his lord had already gotten word of his dissidence, and his reunion with him would not be a happy one. Jakken, his amphibian-like vassal demon, strode nervously at his heels, trembling like a frightened rabbit.

"Ah, Sesshomaru," a sinister-sounding voice rang out as the tall dog-demon halted at the foot of an elegant black dais. The halt itself had been a sudden one, and Jakken, who had been swallowing hard and looking at the threatening figures lined up at their posts, trod onto Sesshomaru's robe, causing him to trip and do a header right into his master, who turned to glare at him murderously for a second.

"Greetings, my lord," Sesshomaru murmured lowly while giving his vassal a hard backwards kick that sent him flying a few feet away. He then dropped down on one knee, inclining his head slightly towards the voice. "It is an honor to be summoned by you again."

Suddenly the writhing smoke cleared, and he could now see the owner of the other voice, a slim, well-built man with tangled black locks and haunting, burning crimson eyes. He sat cross-legged upon the dais, dressed in nothing but a simple black robe, the stick-like incense holders still emitting occasional puffs of lurid pink smoke and momentarily screening his pointed face.

The dark young man sniffed disdainfully. "One would hope so," he said darkly, his eyes fixed upon the impassive dog-demon, "but your respect for me seems to have waned of late, as my source tells me that she had not sensed the remaining shards of the Shikkon Jewel as you entered my stronghold, _despite _the fact that you were told their exact location."

Sesshomaru's quick eyes noticed a tall figure standing off to the side shift slightly as he said this, but he found out no more, as that figure was cloaked in darkness. His eyes turned back to his lord, whose thin lips were now curling in anger. "That is because I have none, my Lord Naraku," he replied simply, inclining his head again. "Though I combed the areas in which you ordered me, I could not secure any shards."

Naraku slowly leaned forward, his heavy lids almost closed as he stared at the Lord of the Western Lands, who despite his unrest refused to be daunted. "Tell the truth, Sesshomaru," he hissed angrily, abruptly changing the subject as the quickly-turning cogs of his mind seemed to sense something odd. "I know you ran into them; my demons never lose a trail or pick up a wrong scent. Tell me, what did you tell Inuyasha and his confederates? And _why _didn't you capture the girl?!"

Sesshomaru wanted to sigh in relief at his lord's sudden change in direction, as the man seemed to have an uncanny way of figuring things out, but obviously managed to hold in his breath._ But how on earth did he know that the girl was in the area, let alone in this time period?! _"The reason that I did nothing, my lord," he began steadily, "was because of timing. Even as we speak, they are coming closer and closer, the girl sensing and collecting the remaining Shards for us. They are at the moment planning to confront you here." He paused for a moment in order to allow it to sink in. "I know that you cannot have one without the other. Why not kill two birds with one stone?"

Naraku stared at him coolly. "Regrettably, how true...you strike a nerve there, Sesshomaru. In order for me to fully utilize the Jewel, of course, first I must..._taint _it, if you catch my drift." He looked away from his vassal momentarily, his eyes resting on the shadowy figure just out of candlelight's reach. "Go back to your court," he said finally in a commanding tone. "Go back to the Western Lands and collect your vassals. Those kids are much stronger than I once gave them credit for. The garrison here needs to be at least doubled."

Sesshomaru's eyes hardened. "Your wish is my command, lord." He gave one final bow and turned to head out, but Naraku's heavily-veined hand clamped down on his shoulder, causing Jakken to whimper in fright and to cower under a nearby tapestry.

Sesshomaru slowly turned around, staring coolly into the crimson eyes of the undisputed overlord of the North. "Yes, my lord?"

"I'm aware that you are keeping something from me, Sesshomaru," Naraku said calmly, but with a hard edge to his voice. "I will not force it out of you right now, but I _must_ ask for your unwavering loyalty during this next episode. Not only that, but you also cannot afford to disobey me this time, as I will order the remainder of my guard to slaughter you all. And furthermore..." Here he paused, his face closing in on Sesshomaru's. "Even if you survive, you will no longer hold autonomy over your realm. And it will suffer." He drew back, folding his hands neatly onto his knees. "Now, what is a mere girl and a jewel practically worthless to you that you shall allow your kingdom to writhe in my iron grip? What is that worth, Sesshomaru? Think very hard..."

Sesshomaru at first said nothing, but just brushed off his shoulder and again turned to leave. "Very well, Naraku," he finally said, looking over his shoulder towards the hateful man one last time. "I shall do as you order; I shall bring the majority of my soldiers here to this castle. There they will set up an ambush for Inuyasha and the others."

"Yes, but remember...I want the girl alive! Make sure that no harm comes to her. She is no use to me dead."

Sesshomaru bowed for what he hoped was the last time. "Very well, my lord. I shall handle that entire operation...satisfactorily." He motioned to his still-trembling vassal. "Come, Jakken. We must hurry back home."

Naraku's voice echoed off the walls as the dog demon gracefully walked out of the room. "Have them mobilized and here within two days. Remember, any more secrets, any more mistakes...and you and your entire kingdom will suffer."

Sesshomaru did not say anything for a long time. With Jakken hurriedly skipping at his heels in an attempt to keep up, he descended stairs, crossed corridors, and walked the immense courtyard all in large strides.

It wasn't until the castle was just a stalwart hulk in the distance that he made to react at all, unlike his anxiety-riddled vassal, who seemed to be worriedly mumbling some form of gibberish. As they flew towards the Western Lands on Sesshomaru's enchanted Cirrus, he sat and stared at the distant ground, stone-faced, his wants clearly clashing on two sides.

Only one reason there was, that conflict was growing within him unchecked; normally he would have just turned against Naraku and gained dominance by seizing the Shikkon Jewel from both sides and not allowing either to use it, but there was something important holding him back. Well, more like some_one... _Someone who might suffer the consequences either way, whether Naraku held the Western Lands and he died of disobedience, or the grim world that everyone in the Demon Realm would have to put up with if he just mindlessly followed Naraku's orders. One thing was written in blood: he would never forgive himself if he allowed that person to suffer. Even if his pride had to.

What course to take, though? Personally, he would prefer to take neither; however...

"But I have no choice," he muttered to himself, taking a leaf out of Jakken's book. "That momentary lapse of judgment has just about cost me my life." He chuckled grimly. "But as if that would make much of a difference at this point..."

"Rin..." The name left his cold, parched lips like dried grass whipping in the wind on a scorched plain.

Author's Note: I apologize if the length of this chapter made it hard to read. I would have broken it up into two separate ones, but believe it or not, I already did that once; the next chapter that I will post was actually once part of this one. There was also no real place to chop this one up. Sorry!

Of course, thank you to Luca Black, Angel6582, MarilleAaye, twidget, Miztical-Dragon, Mini Nicka, anna-7, Delonwethiel, Carly, DarkSlayerAngel, crazyFORvampires, The-Freak32, arisu-the-pink, inu-hanyou2, brigirl, and Draechaeli, for reviewing. I wish I could shout out individually to you all, but I'm afraid I don't have the time. You guys rock!!

Laura: Yeah, Sesshomaru is actually allied with him...but more for safety's sake than for just wanting to. When you're a demon lord in Feudal Japan, Naraku is definitely not one to cross. :) And no, you're actually not off-base with your guessing. Shippo actually smelled Kagome on Inuyasha earlier; that will come into play later on. Sesshomaru did as well, for that matter; in fact, that influenced his giving the Jewel Shards to Inuyasha and Kagome. Not only did Sesshomaru realize that Inuyasha could wield the deadly Teutsusaiga again, but he also knew that ---er, I can't give that part away. Sorry!

sibby4ever: You are really prophetic! Not only did Kagome go back to her own time in this chapter, but Naraku made a short appearance as well. Naraku will be a bit more elusive for a few chapters yet, though.

earthshine411: ::shudder:: Three way between Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, and Kagome... ::shudders again:: Not after the horror of that one I saw on AFFN. That totally put me off from reading any Inuyasha fanfic for like the next week... And actually, I'm not that talented. I'm about 90 percent done with this fic; luckily I am, because I have hardly enough time to write the disclaimers and everything, what with my heavy coursework going on this semester. Besides the heavy editing that I always do before I even consider posting, the only scene that I've actually written this week was the one with Inuyasha's demon transformation in the beginning.

AngelOfLight: I know for sure that Kikyo didn't want to be a priestess; she wanted to get away from all the responsibility. I actually think that Inuyasha and Kikyo might have been in love at that time, though; though Inuyasha definitely moves on when meeting Kagome (aw come on, he fell head over heels from her within the first 20 episodes!). They might still actually end up together in the canon; even though it ended in Japan (and rather ambiguously, I might add), the creators are planning future projects.

ChibiKenshin6490: Well -er- the Kikyo plotline is actually one of the LAST things to be resolved in this story. I can't remember exactly where it's written, but I believe everything is explained in full in Chapter 21.

inuyashaluv0528: There will definitely be a lemon; though I'm keeping it a surprise as to what chapter. :)

Inu Sweet Pup Ears: Hope you liked the fluff; this chapter and the next are definitely qualified. And this isn't the end of Shippo being able to smell Kagome on Inuyasha...in fact, he and the others will use that to their advantage...

Caliosihe: If you're really curious you can e-mail me and see if your guesses are right... I don't know if I'd give away the whole plot, but if you guess correctly that definitely merits a nod. :) The only think that I'll say out in the open is that Inuyasha and Kikyo didn't have sex. According to Miroku in chapter three, there was only a five minute discrepancy between Kagome and Inuyasha running towards the well, and unless Inuyasha is -er- very quick, that couldn't have happened.

angelica incarnate: I'm definitely editing with reviews in mind. I've already actually had to re-examine a few things because others picked up what I didn't. And to answer your questions: yeah, once Miroku finds out about Kagome and Inuyasha's little tryst, he's gonna run away with it. He's even sort of doing it now, since he already suspects more than the others. Sesshomaru is acting on a hunch when he warns Inuyasha about Kagome's well-being; although he is allied with Naraku, he does not know all of Naraku's plans. He does know, however, that Kagome's powers are somehow essential to Naraku's schemes and he does not want her to fall into the wrong hands, for his sake as well as Inuyasha's. :)

And, of course, please review. I really want to keep gaining momentum, especially since I'm getting into the confusing parts where I don't quite know what I'm doing. Please review!!


	16. Comedy

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha then I wouldn't have to write this disclaimer. _sticks out tongue _- So there!

Author's Note: _holds head in hands in despair - _Oh no - I think I have some explaining to do! I think that the whole Sesshomaru/Rin thing last chapter was misinterpreted a bit. There is no pairing there, just sort of a fatherly-daughterly relationship. At my estimate, Rin would be -oh- about twelve in this fic, so having a pairing there would actually border on some nasty, gross pedophilia.

&&((&&(&&$####&&

Inuyasha sniffed the air irately as he watched the motley-looking group approach with a business-like air. "Who're THEY?!" he asked Miroku irritably, covering his face with a wide red sleeve as a horrid waft of Hojo's strong cologne reached his oversensitive nose.

"How should I know?" Miroku countered calmly. "YOU'RE the one who always visits here."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth, cursing the monk's ever-inquisitive nature. "You call ONE visit in THREE years _always, _you moro-"

"Hello there!" the tall, slender boy in the lead said to the duo pleasantly as he got within conversational range. "Have you seen Kagome around lately?"

Inuyasha predictably scowled in response, eying the entire group suspiciously, at the tightly-knit group of three girls wearing empty smiles on their faces and strange short skirts, and even more at the nancy-looking boy with a bunch of flowers and entirely too-blue eyes. His first spoken reply naturally would have been 'You all look like a bunch of freaks', but Miroku managed to butt in before he had even opened his mouth, responding just as pleasantly, "She is in the house. What do you happen to need her for?"

The entire group was silent for a moment, though for a couple of different reasons.

Hojo happened to be staring at Inuyasha's ears quite perplexedly, while the girls, well, the girls were adoringly eying the pair of feudal boys, Miroku especially, who seemed to enjoy the sudden attention.

"Uh -er-" Ayumi finally stuttered, reddening visibly as she looked into the depthful blue eyes of the regally-clad monk in front of her. "Um, you see -well- we need her because we're on an important mission. We need to get Hojo here-" -she grabbed the shoulder of the handsome-looking boy alongside her- "-reunited with his girlfriend so that they can date some more and get married and have lots of babies and um--um---"

Miroku smiled winningly. "Oh, all right. I don't know how Kagome would be of any service of you, but by all means-"

"Hey, are these real?" Eri suddenly cut in, coming right up to Inuyasha and pulling his white doggy ears sharply. "Or just glued?" Inuyasha growled in protest, but she continued to tweak them, squealing delightedly as they seemed to be real ears and not fake add-ons.

"Hey, let go of those!" he finally snarled, swatting her hand away. "There's only ONE person that I let touch my ears, and that's--that's---" He stuttered, reddening visibly as he refused to finish the sentence.

"And who is that, might I ask?" Miroku asked, smiling cheesily.

"I'm not TELLING you, monk! Get that through your head!"

He just clucked pathetically. "I'll find out about your love life someday, Inuyasha, whether you admit it or not..." He was about to go on, but Hojo then cleared his throat.

"Uh, uh---_anyway_," he said nervously, his feet crunching into the gravel as he shifted balance. "Um, would you guys have any -um- guy-to-guy advice about winning your girl back?"

Miroku looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "Hmmmm, well...I first have to commend you for asking the biggest love expert ever to walk the earth...That's a good start, for one thing..." He let out a soft "oof!" as Inuyasha nudged his side rather cruelly. "_Well_," he continued, shooting a glare at the half-demon, who seemed on the brink of laughter, "your best bet would be to woo her over a hand-cooked meal that you made yourself, during which you show off all of your charm, talents, and any valuables you might have. Then, when she is thoroughly convinced that you are more than a god, then take your chance and lean in for the big kiss." He rubbed his chin satisfyingly. "Rough sex on the table afterwards is optional, though I highly recommend it. Works every time!" He winked at Yuka, who immediately swooned at his god-like features. The other girls looked flushed but absolutely enamored.

"Oh, thank you, mister!" Hojo replied happily. "That sounds great! I'm glad to have heard from such an expert!"

Miroku gritted his teeth unhappily as Inuyasha choked to keep from bursting out laughing. "Don't mind him," he added sweetly to the group standing in front of him. "He has absolutely no expertise with girls. Why, the girl he's been in love with for four years still doesn't know about those wet dreams he has about her every night-"

Inuyasha was immediately on the defensive. "WHAT-DO-I-HAVE-TO-TELL-YOU-YOU-STUPID-MORON!" he snapped staccato-like, his face the picture of righteous indignation. "I-DO-_NOT_-LOVE-HER!"

The young monk just waved it off airily. "Denial, denial, Inuyasha...such a bad thing..."

"I'll denial _you, _you dirty-minded little-"

"Well, what about _you--- _Inuyasha, was it?" Hojo asked earnestly. "What would YOU do to woo her?"

"Well, for one thing, I'd get rid of those dumb flowers," he snapped, pointing at the beautiful rose bouquet still in the crook of Hojo's arm. "She probably dumped you for being such a pansy anyway, and she probably doesn't want MORE. Girls want someone _strong, _not a wimpy little nancy boy who can't even lift half his weight!" Hojo began to look indignant at this, but Inuyasha steadily continued on mouthily, "Second, I wouldn't listen to anything that Miroku says. And that's all." He closed his eyes, straightening up imperiously.

"Er---right," were the only words that Hojo managed to come up with.

Yuka squealed happily. "Looks like you're all set, Hojo! Not only did you make it into swimming semi-finals, but you're the regional wrestling champion too!"

"Just woo her over a candlelit dinner and you'll be growing old together!" Ayumi bounced excitedly. "Ooooooh, I can't wait! Soon you'll have to pick names for your kids!"

"Say, are _you _strong?" Eri added, who could fixate on no one or nothing else but Miroku. "I bet you are!"

Miroku puffed out his chest and was no doubt about to rumble on about his false exploits against demons and such (and not coincidentally all the ones that Inuyasha had saved him from), but he was interrupted when Sota heaved into view, still carrying all of the bags in tow. "Hey, a hand here?' he called out, the wheeled suitcase jolting painfully over a rock.

Hojo automatically jumped to it and helped him drag them all towards the group, forcing Inuyasha to hold the rose bouquet. "Careful!" he called out behind him. "Those set me back fifty dollars!" Inuyasha scowled and contemplated ways to ritually destroy the flowers, but Miroku's warning glare put him to a screeching halt.

After the bags were all piled neatly, Hojo neatly took back the roses and asked Sota, "What are those for, might I ask?"

Sota grinned evilly, leaning against the luggage as he addressed to Inuyasha, "_She _said you have to carry those all the way back. And that's only _half _of what she's packed."

"WHAT?!" Inuyasha shrieked, staring indignantly at the gigantic pile. "You go back there right NOW and tell her that I'm not her freakin' towel boy!"

Sota shook his head sadly. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. She's pretty scary today..."

"What are you TALKING about?! She's _always _scary!"

"But this time it's really bad!" Sota responded earnestly. "I wouldn't do it if you enjoy having limbs!" He mimed someone hacking his arm off with an axe.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth impatiently as he was faced with the dilemma of either having to be marooned with Hojo and the girls awhile longer or having to face Kagome's wrath. In the end, he ended up choosing the first choice. "Fine, then! I'll wait..._ten _minutes longer!" he sniffed, sticking his nose up in the air. "But THEN-"

"Yeah yeah, you'll go get injured, I know!"

Inuyasha opened one eye. "Whatever..." He then turned his attention to the bag closest to him, shamelessly rifling through it to check out its contents. "What the hell could she POSSIBLY pack that's this much?" he said irately, continuing to mutter on to himself when he was unable to find the answer to the question of why _he _had to carry everything.

"Is Kagome going somewhere or something?" Hojo asked Miroku confusedly.

"Er--ye-" Miroku started, but was rudely interrupted when Inuyasha suddenly pulled a wrapped tampon out of the bag, holding it up to the light and sniffing at it curiously.

"What IS this?!" he asked interestedly, unwrapping it. "Some kind of food?" Having never encountered plastic before, he started to nibble, the object crunching loudly as his canines chomped down on it. When Hojo turned a bright red and the girls began to giggle loudly, he lifted his head, looking irritated. "WHAT?! I'm hungry!"

"Errr---_Inuyasha_," Miroku began warningly, his face now turning a rather interesting shade of violet. "I think that's a..." He trailed off quietly, not sure what it was himself (though he had chanced a very accurate guess, thanks to his gutter-residing mind).

"Um, okay, okay," Ayumi started in a rather high voice. "I think you'd better know what that is...OK, what you're currently eating is called a tampon. When a girl doesn't get pregnant..."

What was then explained needn't be important, but, needless to say, by the end of the lecture everyone (including Miroku) was laughing at Inuyasha, who had long since spat out the tampon and was the most glorious shade of red ever seen. "Er---forget I asked," he managed to croak.

"You have such an innocent friend there!" Eri giggled at Miroku, who was still snorting with laughter at the embarrassed half-demon. "He _really _doesn't know much about girls, does he?"

The monk sighed and closed his eyes in mock sadness. "I'm afraid not... Supposing that he even _gets_ his girl, I am not even sure if he will know how to satisfy her, if you get my drift."

"HEY!" Inuyasha burst out, getting more enraged by the minute. "I HEARD THAT!"

"Hey mister!" Hojo called out in newfound admiration to the monk, ignoring Inuyasha and allowing Yuka to proffer the therapeutic sandals in his direction. "What do you think of giving these to Kagome?"

Miroku raised a brow. "Sandals stuffed with herbal remedies? I don't know...why would Kagome need such a thing?"

"Because of her rheumatoid arthritis, of course!" Ayumi piped up, taking advantage of Miroku's momentary distraction by getting so close to him that they nearly touched. Yuka saw this and gave her a death glare, pushing her away slightly as she too edged up towards the unnoticing monk. Eri shook her head in disapproval but scooted up as well, resulting in the three of them completely surrounding the poor guy.

"You're whacked!" Inuyasha sniffed, ignoring everyone but Hojo. "Kagome's perfectly healthy!"

"And he ought to know!" Miroku exclaimed nervously, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead as he finally realized what the girls were up to. "She threw her water bottle at him this morning!" He laughed in a rather high tone, shifting backwards only to find himself against the wall of the shrine. "Er---ladies, if you wouldn't mind, I can't really breathe here-"

"I wonder what's under that big robe of his?" Eri purred innocently, begin to untie the cord around his waist as the others forced his arms down.

"I don't know," Yuka giggled, pinning his legs to the ground with her knees to keep the protesting monk from kicking out. "Let's find out!"

"Ladies, if you don't mind," Miroku requested urgently as the robe hit the ground behind them, "I'm currently attached-"

"Oh hush!" Ayumi exclaimed, gently putting her finger against his lips.

"Oh, he's even hotter WITHOUT that robe!" Eri exclaimed as she stared at the monk's heaving bare torso, as he now was only in his leggings and sandals.

"Er---maybe I should have told you," Miroku began hesitantly, "but I'm a monk, and monks cannot have pleasures of the flesh-" He stopped abruptly when one of the girls pecked his reddening cheek, knowing that it was absolutely no use. Boy, would it suck to be him if Sango suddenly came out and caught him, although it technically wasn't his fault...

"Heheehee!" Yuka giggled, making him jump when she pinched the nape of his neck. "He's all ours, girls!"

It didn't matter anymore. Miroku was now officially terrified. A high scream threatening to erupt from his throat as the girls continually pawed him, he repented thirty times over for EVER trying to hit on anything. "SAAAAAAAAAAANGO, HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLP!"

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was locked in a confrontation of his own with Hojo. "Will you PLEASE stop disrespecting Kagome?!" Hojo was almost shouting at the half-demon. "She's a sickly girl! Not only will she be confined to a wheelchair for life in three years because of five separate bone tissue diseases, but she will soon be rendered completely sterile from the newest virus in Africa! HOW can you be so heartless?!"

"But I'm TELLING you!" Inuyasha responded angrily. "Kagome's not sick! She's NOT!" He furiously swatted at Hojo's bouquet, which was starting to wilt from the prolonged exposure to the hot summer sun. He suddenly stopped short, his gaze slowly switching from the flowers to the sandals to finally Hojo himself. "Hey, _wait _a minute..." he suspiciously spat, managing to put two and two together in his own slow way. "Are _those _for Kagome, too?" he asked, pointing towards the roses.

"Of course!" Hojo replied haughtily. "Unlike you, _I _am a gentleman! And, also unlike you, I will go to any means necessary to win my girl!"

Inuyasha, however, was quibbling with rage far too much to care about Hojo's last words. "So you're here to win her back, eh?" he said in a voice just oozing with deadly calm, standing almost nose-to-nose with the other boy. "NOT WHILE I CAN HELP IT!!" And before Hojo could yell "help!" he was onto him like a whirlwind, lashing out with his claws and trying to pin him to the ground. Hojo, however, fought the good fight; being the regional wrestling champion, he knew a few tricks himself (including a few dirty ones). Between his groin kicks and Inuyasha's sheer brutal strength, it seemed that there was going to be no clear winner for awhile...

Amidst Inuyasha and Hojo's shouting and Miroku's tearful pleas for help, Sota giggled happily as the fighting on both sides continued to intensify. It had turned out better than he could have hoped... Forget the trash talk shows that his mother had banned him from watching; _this _was better than Jerry Springer any day!

&(&()()()

"All done!" Kagome exclaimed cheerfully as she threw her last pair of socks into the suitcase. "And somehow we've managed without Inuyasha bothering us too! Now _that's _somewhat of a world record," she muttered dryly, zipping up the suitcase and heaving it up onto the bed.

"Shall we leave, then?" Sango asked, rising from her spot on the floor. "Don't get me wrong or anything," she added hastily, giving her a friend a sidelong look, "it's just that it probably isn't a good idea to be leaving those two alone for very long."

Kagome nodded as she handed her friend the other back. "Yeah, you're probably right. And we should probably be getting to Kaede's by sunset."

After saying goodbye to her mother and grandfather, the two set out across the lawn, getting into a rather metaphysical conversation that hitherto had been something that Kagome had thought about but not shared, even with Inuyasha himself.

"Well, I suppose I can assume that you've already changed the past," Sango commented to her friend somberly, reswinging Kagome' s duffel bag around her shoulder. "This seems like a peaceful place...and there's the Sacred Tree, taller than ever." She gestured towards it with one hand. "So is this due to something that _we _did, or have we not changed my time period yet?"

"I honestly don't know how that works," Kagome replied honestly. "But don't you find it funny that there are no demons in my time period when yours is crawling with them?"

Sango contemplated it for a moment. "Something must have happened, I guess...but at least Naraku likely isn't hanging around. That means that we or someone else must have defeated him at some point."

"Either that, or all the demons got wiped out in some war or other..." She swallowed, calculating her friend's mood before she went on to say the next thing. "I wonder if this means that - that Inuyasha died at some point." She suddenly reddened, looking down at the ground.

Sango stared at her shrewdly, but did not voice her suspicions. "I don't know," she finally said stonily. "I really don't know. He must have---though whether from natural causes or from something else is something we'll probably never find out."

"And then there's our shrine." Kagome pointed to the familiar building looming from the side. "What's creepy is that someone had to have known about the use of the well, although the Shikkon Jewel and Inuyasha's rosary are the only two things that I know of that can get you through it. The only thing I know for sure is that my ancestors built the shrine around the well sometime in the 1700's---"

"Why?" Sango asked abruptly. "Is the well haunted?"

"No..."

The other woman wrinkled her brow. "It's just that there's all that yelling and wailing coming from over th-" They both stopped short in her tracks, each giving the other looks that plainly said "shit".

Kagome was the first to speak. "They screwed it up, didn't they?"

"They sure did," Sango responded as they both broke into a run.

&&(&()

By now Inuyasha had Hojo pinned to the ground with one foot and was hitting him with him own bouquet. At first the other boy had bravely retaliated with the odd left hook or thrown rock, but eventually his strength waned and he couldn't do much more than yelp as Inuyasha snarled angrily, "You were going to have children, eh?! You'll be lucky if you can even get it up when I'm done!"

"Oh my lord," Kagome murmured as her eyes were exposed to the scene of absolute insanity.

"Is that boy someone you know?" Sango asked, her eyes widening as Inuyasha doubled over painfully, having been treated to a direct kick in the pills by Hojo's booted foot.

"Oh yes," Kagome breathed, now suddenly angry, "I know him all right...But I'll bet you anything that Inuyasha was the one who started it!"

Another yelp from behind them suddenly caught their attention. The girls both whirled around, only to find Kagome's friends still pawing Miroku, who was struggling vainly and whining pleadingly, "Sango, help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"

"MIROKU HOUSHI!" Sango screeched, abandoning Kagome to march up to her husband. "What on God's green EARTH are you up to?!"

"But Sango, I-"

"SIT!" Kagome's voice was added to the din. "SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT _SIT!"_ Thrown magnificently upwards, Inuyasha found his bouquet only to be connecting with dead air as he bounced around and ploughed into the ground several times, skipping a few more times before he finally rolled towards the shrine, sprawled facedown into the ground. Hojo, a purpled eye visibly showing on his normally handsome face, breathed heavily as he staggered upwards, saying hoarsely to Kagome, "Let me at him! He disrespected you by laughing at all your illnesses!"

Kagome sighed nervously, casting a weary eye towards the half-demon, who still lay near Miroku, Sango, and the feuding girls. "Not true," she replied, picking up the bouquet and giving it back to Hojo. "I'm _not _ill. With anything."

"But your grandfather always said-"

"My grandfather is an old coot!" Kagome interrupted angrily, feeling a suddenly rush of anger towards her father's father. "I NEVER had any of those illnesses! He just said that because - because - oh, never mind."

"I honestly don't think I want to know," Hojo replied honestly, glancing over towards the war still going on near the shrine. ALL of the girls, including Sango, were now pummeling Miroku, who angstfully pleaded innocence amid all the cries of, "You creep!", "You two-timer!", and, on one particularly vehement occasion "You ought to have it cut off, you liar!".

"You don't," Kagome panted nervously, turning back to Hojo. "Trust me."

He looked at her contemplatively for a moment, and then said slowly, proffering the flowers, "Well, Kagome, my offer still stands. I don't care whether you're sick or not. I still want you...that is, if you'll have me."

As she looked into those soulful, glittering eyes, Kagome was almost tempted to take up his offer. As her friends had told her umpteen times, he was kind, gentle, caring, and would _never _cause her any trouble. However, as her eyes shifted over to stare at the silver-haired, rough-looking form lying sprawled in a two foot deep, form-fitting dent, she truly knew that Hojo wasn't what she wanted. "Sorry," she responded, shaking her head. "_My _offer still stands as well."

He turned to walk away, but thought better of it, giving her one last glance. "It was him all along, wasn't it?" His head jerked over towards the prostrate form of Inuyasha.

"Yes, it was," she replied seriously, turning away herself to perhaps find a way to wrest her friends off the hapless Miroku.

"I'll give him one thing," Hojo replied, heading back to his convertible, "he sure can bite. That guy could clean _anyone's _clock." He disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

Kagome watched as Ayumi took a swing at Miroku's unprotected area. "You _swine, you _didn't tell us you were married! You lying, two-timing, lecherous-"

"STOP!!" Kagome screeched, managing to disperse the warmongering girls with one loud shout. "PLEASE STOP!!"

"Why, Kagome?" Eri whined. "The guy's a cheater and he deserves it!"

"Yeah!" Yuka agreed. "I don't know how you EVER put up with him!" she added to Sango, who was currently giving Miroku a look that could have frozen hellfire.

"Wait a second, wait a second!" Kagome cut in exasperatedly. "WHY on earth are you holding his robe, Ayumi?"

The girl turned a bright red and squeaked, "We -uh, er- took it off?" she replied in a tiny voice.

"With or without his permission?" Kagome continued in a stern voice.

"Um---without?" Yuka aimed a kick at her admission, but the girl just gulped and turned a brighter shade of red.

Kagome turned to Sango. "See? Knowing my friends and their track record with guys, they probably just jumped on him."

Sango looked at her dubiously. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Well, if that's the case, then I suppose we should go before anything else happens," Sango replied, still giving Miroku a dark look. She tugged at his hand, which was still sweating profusely from the schoolgirl attack. "Come on, you great lump! I want to arrive at home before nightfall." Without another word the monk stood up and they both headed into the shrine.

Kagome sighed in frustration as she surveyed the torn-up lawn and the toppled over pile of suitcases and bags dominating the proceedings. How could she EVER have thought that Inuyasha and Miroku would have gone without causing trouble in a whole hour?! _(Great, just great,) _she thought irately, kicking at a clump of dirt. _(Good thing I'm leaving for awhile or Grandpa'd be on my case for at least a year.) _She turned around to stare at Inuyasha's still prone form, as did the other girls, who even now had no idea what the hell was going on. "Inuyasha!" she barked, purposely stepping on one leg. "Did you bite poor Hojo?!"

The reply was muffled but nonetheless distinct. "Only after he bit _me_!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and stepped down harder. "Like I'm gonna believe THAT! Come on, what did you _do?!"_

"I didn't do ANYTHING!"

She turned away, growling in frustration at his obstinacy. "Fine then, be that way!"

"FINE!!"

Kagome turned around to stamp off and let him sulk only to find that she had bumped into her three excited-looking friends. "Omigod, Kagome!" Yuka squealed. "_Omigod_!"

Kagome paled as she for the first time fully realized what her friends being here really meant. "Er---omigod...what?"

"We need to talk to you," Eri said breathlessly, "_now_."

Immediately she found herself dragged over to Hojo's convertible about a hundred feet away, where its owner was decrepitly sitting in the driver's seat. "Oh my GOD, Kagome!" Yuka squealed as she climbed into the backseat, motioning for Kagome to follow. "You have a BOYFRIEND! A little nerd like you---already with a BOYFRIEND!"

Kagome, who had always been on the studious side in school, reddened and glared at her. "He's NOT my boyfriend! He's--" She stewed for a moment, trying to get the right words to come out of her mouth. However, a little squeaking noise came out of her throat as she realized that the accusation was, for once, true. "All right, all right, I DO have a boyfriend! But he's not exactly a people person!"

"Well, who cares about THAT?!" Ayumi squealed. "He's damn hot! Why didn't you TELL us, Kagome?!"

"I -um-"

"We KNEW it, Kagome!" Yuka piped up glaringly. "We KNEW that there was someone else, the way you were always sighing and muttering 'that arrogant bastard' like that!" She grinned triumphantly at her friend, who was getting steadily redder and redder.

"The problem _is_," Eri went on for her thoughtfully, "why didn't you TELL us about this piping hot hunk of man until now?"

Kagome's stomach gave a rather unpleasant lurch at the words 'piping hot hunk of man'. "Well, the hitch is-"

"Never mind, never mind!" Ayumi interrupted. "The only thing that matters is that you're happy!"

Eri giggled. "The way you two argue is so CUTE!! Talk about chemistry!"

Ayumi put her arm around Kagome in a friendly manner. "You two could put that energy to better use, y'know," she purred suggestively, patting her shoulder. "He might be a little bad-tempered, but I'm sure he's got some _other _good qualities..."

Yuka giggled again. "I mean, he beat up the regional wrestling champ, for one thing..."

"HEY!" Hojo turned around sharply, his bloody nose in plain view as it dripped onto the leather upholstery.

Ayumi patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Yeah, yeah, I know what it must feel like, after being in the top spot for seven years...so very sad." She turned back to Kagome, brightening up again. "But I think you'd better make your boyfriend get over the whole innocence thing. I don't think he knows _anything _about ANYTHING, if you know what I mean!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "No, I don't think I do."

Yuka shook her head sadly. "You'd best get him up to snuff straightaway, Kagome. For crying out loud, I'll bet you anything that he doesn't even know what a blowjob is!"

"_HEY!!" _Kagome and Hojo both roared at the same time, both giving her death glares. Kagome, however, was the most peeved of the two. "I AM NOT GIVING INUYASHA A BLOWJOB!" she roared, spit flying in all directions.

"OK, OK," Eri said in a placating tone. "No one said you had to..." She stopped momentarily but went on to blurt out, "But I would!"

Kagome, who had briefly looked down at her watch, started as she noted the time. "Um, you guys," she said nervously, climbing out of the car. "It's almost suppertime. Um, I'd better go..."

Hojo and the girls looked at her for a moment but luckily didn't bother to ask where she was going. "Oh, okay!" Ayumi said brightly. "We'll see you around then, Kagome!"

"Next time we meet remember to bring that hot boyfriend of yours!" Eri squealed, blowing her a kiss as Hojo sulkily revved up the convertible and drove away.

After they had left, Kagome just stood there and stared at the dust cloud that the car had left behind, her brain scarcely able to register what had just happened. _(This is absolutely insane! ABSOLUTELY INSANE!! ) _She gritted her teeth for a moment but after a few seconds couldn't help but let out a giggle at the memory of Inuyasha thrashing Hojo with his own flowers. _(Heh, at least he'll leave me alone now...)_

She turned and headed back to the shrine, figuring that Miroku, Sango, and Shippo (who had perhaps luckily missed all the fun) were probably waiting for her on the other side of the well. Inuyasha was now out of his dent, sitting huffily against the shrine wall as he waited her to return. One large amber eye squinted at her suspiciously as she approached, her arms swinging energetically. "Come on, Inuyasha!" she called out to him steadily. "Let's get going!"

He glared at her unblinkingly for a moment, but then soundlessly stood up, turning around to head for the well. Kagome abruptly stopped him and pointed at all her bags; he scowled at her audacity. "Oh, come on!" she called out to him as he grumpily pick up the entire stack in one lift. "I'm not mad at you!" He looked up and scowled but refused to say anything. "No, really!" she added sincerely, grabbing two of the bags he was carrying. "That guy's been after me for four years now, and I don't think he'll be coming back anytime soon."

"Hmph!" was the conceited reply. "I'm glad I bit him, then!"

She smiled. "So admit it...you were jealous!"

He put his nose high into the air as he dumped all of the bags down the well. "Don't think that I did it for you! I didn't like him anyway!"

She smiled again, not believing him for even a moment. "Yeah, whatever..."

They both climbed onto the lip of the well, Kagome wrapping his arms around his neck so that she could hold his rosary, which was the only thing other than the Sacred Jewel that could allow them to pass through time. Just as Inuyasha was about to leap down, however:

"Um, Kagome? What IS a blowjob, anyway?"

"SIT!" Her voice rang shrilly through the echoey well as they both unexpectedly plummeted down and out of sight, Kagome angrily cursing to herself as she realized that she should have let go of him before shouting the incantation. Damn all demons and their damn good hearing, anyway...

All was not still even after the duo had left, however... A demented giggle came from one dusty corner of the shrine, and Sota came crawling out of a large urn, where he had been hiding ever since the fight broke out. "Heh, that was the most fun I've had in years!" he snorted, stifling another laugh as he left to get a snack.

Author's Note: Chapter sixteen down! Not much to say other than that, except:

ChibiKenshin6490: Well, yeah, they will, but not for awhile yet. Obviously the rest of the group heavily suspects, but they're still sort of afraid to bring it out in the open.

AngelOfLight: _snicker _I like your nickname for Hojo. I've thought that a few times myself. :)

earthshine411: You're onto me plot-wise, I'll say that much. :) I can't remember the name of that horrible fic, but I'll tell you what squicked me about it. It wasn't a threesome, per se, but I do believe that Kagome did do both of them within the span of 24 hours. It started off when Kagome started giving Inu a BJ in his sleep; he woke up, turned into a demon, and proceeded to screw her all night. She began calling out for help after awhile, and somehow telepathically connected to Sesshomaru, who "rescued" her and then did her himself. I couldn't bring myself to read anymore after that...

angelica incarnate: Kagome knows that the final battle is close, so she thinks that bringing as much stuff as she can (like warm clothes, food, first aid, etc) to help will contribute to them winning. This isn't the last of Sota, actually, he'll be around once more... As for the Sesshomaru/Rin thing, that whole thing is sort of my fault. I think he cares quite a bit about Rin (in a fatherly way, of course), but he isn't totally doing this for Rin either, and I don't think I've made that clear. He obviously wants to overthrow Naraku, but he's is hesitant to make a move considering Naraku's current strength.

Inu Sweet Pup Ears: Not getting the e-mails on time is a regular occurrence on this site, unfortunately... My review alerts get backed up often enough. And you do bring up a good point about why Sesshomaru doesn't act. That's sort of a weakness in my plot. My only justification is that he's not sure if he's able to win in the current circumstances; instead he relies on Inuyasha, who can wield the Teutsusaiga, to do it.

Midnight Vixen: Ugh, the kind of story that you mentioned in your review makes me very very ill as well. Unfortunately, that's actually about 75 percent of the stories that I've seen lately. I'll try not to make it too peachy keen; there's just too much emotional baggage and too much uncertainty about Naraku and Inuyasha's thoughts on becoming a full-demon for it to be totally all right.

Crystal Twilight: As far as I know, the Shikkon Jewel and the rosary are the only ways that people can get through the well. Inuyasha can get through because of the rosary, that much I know... I lately realized the same thing that you did, about Miroku and Sango...but I decided to leave it. It's not quite right, but I supposed that I could "justify" it if I made sure that Miroku and Sango touched the person holding the item, thus getting them through as well. Sorry!

Green Glitter Haruko: I'm currently not planning too much about Rin, actually...just that Sesshomaru is concerned for her safety. Um...what insult by Kouga are you referring to? I'm not sure if I remember it...

Also thank you to inuyashaluv0528, Mini Nicka, Angel 6582, Artificial Red, Stiffy420, Wildly Shy, SamuraiPrincess01, Delonwethiel, Demon-girl-kit, bettychan, crazyFORvampires, brigurl, sailor-saturn550, and someone. You guys rock!!!

Review, please! I want to know your thoughts, especially about whether or not you thought the Hojo scene was a good little clincher for that whole sideplot. And remember: reviews me happy! :)


	17. Love

Disclaimer:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Fanfiction is written for fun,

So you needn't go out and sue!

Shippo was absolutely peeved at being left behind. Having slept for what seemed an innumerable amount of time curled up near the Houshi's fireplace, he had woken up only to find the rest of the group still gone, probably off on some grand adventure that they considered too "dangerous" for kids. "Huh," he sniffed, angrily chewing on an apple swiped from the orchard nearby, "What do they think they're doing anyway, leaving me here like this?! It's always so boring here!"

Actually, he took that back. He often lived with Miroku and Sango and Kyoko on and off, especially in the winter months when the weather was harsher and it wasn't fun to be living from tree-to-tree, and he always liked it inside the cozy little house, where Miroku was often going in and out for exorcisms and Sango was always cooking something delicious. However, the complete silence at the moment was almost too much to bear. "I wish they'd get back," he muttered to himself, spinning around a little top that he had materialized out of thin air.

No sooner had he made that wish when suddenly he heard the distinctive noise of someone being smacked outside. "MIROKU HOUSHI!" he heard Sango's angry voice ring out near the doorway. "I am so very disappointed in you!"

Shippo grinned as he heard the sound of another smack and an undignified "ow!" coming from Miroku. The couple suddenly appeared in the doorway, an infuriated Sango carrying her husband's robe and Miroku looking quite sorry for himself. "But Sango-chan!" he whined, rubbing his bare forearm. "I didn't do anything! _They_ jumped on _me_!"

She just glared at him, holding his robe out at arm's length as if repulsed. "Hm! Why didn't you beat them off, then?"

Miroku sighed painfully as he snatched it back. "What was I supposed to DO, use my Wind Tunnel?!"

"_Perhaps_!"

"So you'd rather have me sucked off into oblivion rather than being forced to finger three amorous girls who refuse to take no for an answer?!"

"_Miroku Houshi, _you are ABSOLUTELY- mmmpf-"

Shippo rolled his eyes as the two both set to kissing and touching as if they had neither kissed nor touched before. They always did that, starting off with an argument and ending up being GROSS like that. They probably didn't know he was here though, otherwise Miroku probably wouldn't have been so obviously grabbing her behind like that... "AHEM!" he coughed, hopping up onto the table to announce his presence.

They both let go immediately, reddening slightly as they both noticed the little fox demon for the first time. Sango laughed nervously as she pushed Miroku away. "Oh -heh- didn't see you there, Shippo!"

"Where was I SUPPOSED to be?!" the little fox retorted. "You left me stuck out here all day without even telling me where you all were going!" He cleared his throat pompously. "I have to give you credit, though; at least you're not as hard to catch as Inuyasha and Kagome are!"

The couple's collective amusement faded at the mere mention of it, and Sango opened to her mouth to ask the question that everyone was itching to know, but before that could happen Kagome suddenly appeared in the doorway, shortly followed by an irate-looking Inuyasha, who snarled angrily as one of the suitcases he was carrying got caught going through. "Dammit, Kagome!" he growled through clenched teeth. "WHY did you have to bring so much junk?!"

"Because I need all of it, stupid!" Kagome snapped, her nose in the air. "Oh, and by the way...you forgot _that _one!" She pointed out at one of the bags forlornly lying on the ground outside.

The half-demon huffed and raged for about a full minute but eventually went out to get the bag, pitching it down with the others, all the while muttering something about a "minxy little twit" bossing him around.

"You'd best watch him when he's handling your things, Kagome," Miroku piped up, stifling a laugh. "He likes to eat your tampons."

At this Kagome's eyes absolutely blazed with fury. "You did...WHAT?!" She screeched into the suddenly puppyish half-demon's face. "You ATE a WHAT?!"

Inuyasha looked uncharacteristically mortified. "I didn't know what it was!"

Kagome considered telling him gruesome, play-by-play details, but she figured that she'd probably end up embarrassing herself more than him. "Whatever!" she responded uppishly, turning her back to him. "But if I EVER, EVER find you playing around with those again I'll stick 'em where the sun don't shine!" Everyone laughed when Inuyasha began to look particularly frightened at this comment.

$RT&&

Laughter, however, wasn't the eminent thing on their minds later that night, when the moon had risen and all in the village appeared to be still. After arriving at the village early that evening, the first thing that Kagome and the others proceeded to do was to tell Kaede the events of the previous nine days. They all sat in a half-circle around her hearth, everyone explaining their bits of the story (minus certain parts on Inuyasha and Kagome's part, of course), not stopping to even catch their breath. The old priestess often looked grim during their tale, and on occasion opened her mouth to let out a vehement exclamation, but didn't let forth her opinion until Inuyasha had lastly told about the encounter with Sesshomaru.

"But what I don't understand," Sango said hastily as soon as he got to the part where he had turned tail and left, "is why he returned the Sacred Jewel to Inuyasha. Wouldn't he prefer it in Naraku's keeping?"

Kaede thought for a moment but finally shook her head. "I don't claim to know much about the Demon Realm," she began slowly, "but I have heard tales from travelers and the odd passing myth about their kingdom in the Western Lands. Going by what I have heard, I would never believe that aristocratic class would want the Shikkon Jewel in Naraku's hands, even if it meant its destruction. Naraku does not only wish to enslave the humans, but he also wants unrivalled dominance over the Western Lands as well. Such possession of the Shikkon Jewel would allow him to do so, not to merely terrorize human villages as he does now."

"Then why don't THEY do something?!" Inuyasha sniffed, scratching at the dirt floor with his claws. "Instead the morons actually SIDED with him!"

"They may be in his service," Kaede reprimanded him gently, "but that doesn't mean he has their unwavering loyalty. Do remember what Sesshomaru told ye, Inuyasha, after all. It's becoming clear to me that he did not give it to ye on a whim. The demons cannot afford a direct confrontation with Naraku, as it would mean their lives and integrity of their kingdom, but they want a confrontation all the same. And as ye have continually thwarted any of Naraku's machinations-"

"So what you're _saying_," Inuyasha cut in contemptuously, "is that he's getting me to do his dirty work!" He sniffed bitterly, looking away from the others. "Me and my mother were cast out from their precious kingdom when I was born! Why would they want a dirty half-breed like me to do them a favor?"

Everyone fell silent at his confession. Kagome stared at him sympathetically, at the obvious conflict in his eyes and at the wave of pain that had suddenly seemed to overtake him. She also remembered what Sesshomaru had said, about "biding his time"... Were they really just puppets entangled in an alternate plan of the ruthless demon's?

Kaede sighed. "Even so, I believe that this course of action would be the best. If you are lucky enough to survive Naraku's trials I am sure that you will still reunite the Shikkon Jewel and use it, am I right? The Jewel would then most likely cease to exist, and no demon will ever grow half as powerful as Naraku is now. With it gone and Naraku overthrown, it would no longer be a threat to anyone."

Kagome's heart fell as Inuyasha, still looking down, nodded silently. "You _bet _I'm still gonna become a full-fledged demon!" he announced, looking at Kaede sharply. "You can be damn sure about that!"

"I see," Miroku cut in, looking grave. "So what you're saying is that we should take advantage of the situation given to us, no matter what the risk." He looked around at the group. "I for one must make sure that Naraku is dead at any cost! I don't think I've got much time left..." He looked ruefully down at his right hand, clasped as it always was with prayer beads.

Sango nodded. "Me too. That bastard manipulated my brother," she added angrily, shifting restlessly. "He might _still _be for all I know! Even if it means his death if the Shikkon shard is taken out, I will make him rest in peace at any cost..."

Miroku patted her arm comfortingly, surprised that the normally taboo situation had come up. "If it is any reassurance he is probably long dead, Sango... I can't imagine that he kept him around once the shards were seized."

She knocked his arm away angrily, ignoring him for the moment. "Anyway, I'm in! Naraku must pay for what he has done to my family and village!"

"And I'm coming too!" Shippo piped up. "I go anywhere you guys go!"

Kagome smiled weakly. "And you need someone to purify the Jewel once it's whole, right? That means I need to come too!"

Kaede looked at them all gravely. "I see, then," she said softly, standing up. "So you are all willing to at least try, for one reason or another. I wish you all the best of luck, as I am sure you will be leaving quite soon. I cannot offer you any advice other than to stay on your guard at all times and to look for any open opportunity to reunite and purify the Shikkon Jewel without Naraku's knowledge. That however, would be miraculous..." She cleared her throat, glowering slightly.

"Tell me, do you know much about Naraku's castle?" Miroku piped up softly. "We really don't have much to go on, except that he has raised a terrible army..."

Kaede nodded in agreement. "His castle is heavily guarded by creatures of all kinds. Not only does he have a quarter of the garrison of the Demon Realm's army, but he also has many terrible demons of his own. Shadow dragons, wyverns, clay corpses... Going by anything other than rumors and reports of village attacks, I cannot say anything for certain. As I said, be on your guard and make sure that your skills with the Tetsusaiga are well-honed, Inuyasha."

The half-demon's ears perked up but he did not bother to ask how she knew that he could use the sword again. "At any rate," Kaede went on, ignoring his reaction, "I am sure that you are all tired. I have had the side room of the shrine made up for you, and you are welcome to sleep there when you are ready."

Miroku rose, yawning. "I can vouch for that, Kaede. However, there is first some unattended business that Sango-chan and I must see to. I take it that Kyoko is asleep in your hut?"

The old priestess nodded. "For once. Your little daughter must be the most energetic child I've ever seen in a score of years."

"We'd better go tuck her in again," Sango said hastily, ushering Miroku out of the shrine and Shippo skipping along in their wake shouting, "I'm coming too! I'm coming too!"

The remaining occupants of the room looked at each other. Kagome yawned after a moment, breaking the stillness as she picked up the one bag she had brought along and swiftly crossed the room. "Well, I think I'm going to bed," she added, poking her head around the doorjamb, not bothering to hear the soft mumbles of "good night" coming back at her as she hurried off to locate the room.

Only Inuyasha now remained with Kaede, still staring in the fire as he had during the last half of the conversation. He looked up and momentarily locked eyes with the old priestess, who was staring at him curiously. "Tell me, Inuyasha...about you, about the Tetsusaiga...have you been transforming of late?"

"No, old woman, not for a while. Why?" he added brusquely, turning away from the venerable priestess.

"And were you before all of this started?" she continued, ignoring his inquiry.

He looked at her sharply, a shadow of pain flitting through his eyes, but he answered the question in an uncharacteristically soft voice. "I did...I did it all the time, especially when I felt regret. I could feel the blood flowing in me; without the Tetsusaiga, I - I just lost control." He shook his head, taking especial care to not reveal to her the pure emotion conveyed upon his face. "Sometimes I'd hurt myself; badly, even...there were days when I'd wake up lying in a pool of my own blood..." His head suddenly snapped up, his eyes burning intensely. "But why the hell am I telling you all this?! I KNOW it's all my fault, I KNOW that I was too weak-"

"Inuyasha, that is not the point," Kaede interrupted, softly but firmly. "You know what this all comes down to. Your soul is being devoured. I would like to think that your safety is as simple as holding Tetsusaiga, but there are situations when you cannot always wield it. No..." She shook her head, watching him flinch slightly as she looked directly into his eyes. "If you succeed in seizing the Shikkon Jewel, you _must _make your decision. If you remain the way you are now, then eventually your own blood will devour your soul."

"What do you care?!" Inuyasha snarled angrily, reddening and looking away.

Kaede ignored his comment, though she raised an eyebrow. "Do not act hastily or foolishly, Inuyasha... You should know as well as anyone that Kagome is your salvation. Do not endanger that!"

Though he had heard every word, Inuyasha stared stonily at the floor, knowing full well that her one eye was fixed directly on him. Presently he looked up at her again, a question forming in his mouth though he didn't have the strength to ask it.

"Is there anything that you would like to ask me, Inuyasha?" she asked him kindly after a few moments had passed, turning to draw the curtains in the front of the room.

The question, when finally formed, was startling but thoughtful. "Old woman---just - just _how_ powerful is the Shikkon Jewel?"

Kaede shook her head. "No one really knows, although one assumes that it is every bit as powerful as the priestess from whence it came."

Inuyasha, having heard the legend of that priestess from Sango, nodded. "That powerful?"

She looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you ask? If you are asking whether or not it can transform you into a full-fledged demon, then the answer is most definitely yes."

The half-demon frowned. "No, that's not it..." He stood up, looking slightly put off, his nose shoved high into the air as he headed for the main entrance. "Agh, forget I asked, old woman! You wouldn't understand!" he exclaimed halfway out the door, apparently heading for the woods.

Kaede, however, was not finished. Staring down at the flames, she said in a voice barely more than a whisper: "The Shikkon Jewel is the embodiment of the soul of the most powerful priestess this land has ever known. It can alter almost anything involving the living being: appearance, birthright, even your very soul... It can even breathe life into those long dead. A lot of potential rests here, Inuyasha; I urge you to choose wisely."

She knew that he could hear her. He _was _a half-demon, after all...

&(&(((&((

"Geez, where is everybody?" Kagome muttered to herself as she pulled her pink camisole pajama top over her head. Fifteen minutes had passed since she had entered the room, and no one else had appeared yet. _(Where has Inuyasha got to anyway?) _she thought more than a little crossly as she snuggled down into the colorful bedding made up for her by Kaede. _(Dammit, he's ALWAYS had the worst sense of timing in the world!)_

Shrugging it off, she rooted through her backpack and located one of her favorite books, deciding to read the time away until the others got back. She was tired, but her mind was currently so active that she doubted she could have fallen asleep anyway. There was the whole matter about Inuyasha and the Shikkon Jewel, for one thing...

So he still was intending to become a full-fledged demon. She couldn't believe it. Hadn't he learned ANYTHING during their travels? The majority of demons were ruthless and bloodthirsty by nature, and once he had taken his place among them there was a good chance that he would be the same. Would he try to kill her once he had totally given away his human side, his feelings for her vanishing like socks in a dryer? She couldn't figure out what would hurt her more, the thought of her dying or the thought of being hurt by the person dearest to her right before her death. It was so painful to think about, yet the threat was so real...

Then again, she thought dryly, this was a prime example of the nature of the Shikkon Jewel. It was capable of doing the impossible, yet the only sure things around it seemed to be pain and death. In its entire tragic history it had never once been used for the good...if Inuyasha used it would the endless spiral continue? _(Why can't he just stay the same anyway?! I like him the way he is---but he doesn't seem to think he's good enough for anyone else. The fact that he is what he is makes him -well- HIM, and changing that would be taking away a part of it...)_

She was too entangled in the Shikkon Jewel's sticky web to back out now. Quitting like she had before was not an option, as it would most probably endanger the future. She was the only one other than Kikyo who had the power to reunite and purify the Sacred Jewel; without her, the whole quest would be fruitless. The most that she could do if he tried to kill her would be to defend herself; after all, wasn't that what the rosary had originally been intended for?

She started slightly when the door behind her suddenly opened and then banged shut, revealing Inuyasha, his silvery hair dripping wet. "Where were you?" she asked him somewhat crossly as he sat down next to her.

"Just out," he replied, grabbing a blanket for himself. "Thinking."

She stared at him curiously as he stared blankly at the fire, apparently reluctant to divulge what he had been thinking about. "Where are the others?" she asked him quietly, quite aware of the tension in the room.

"They went home. Probably Miroku's doing, if you ask me." He snorted arrogantly, leaving Kagome a good guess as to why he thought so.

She wrinkled her nose. "You're perverted."

He continued to stare into the fire, appearing deep in thought. "Yeah...I probably am..." He trailed off. leaving her bewildered and confused. Something was obviously bothering him, but whether it had to do with her or Naraku or the Shikkon Jewel was currently a mystery. She slowly put her hand on his arm, but he dreamily pulled it away, purposely looking in the other direction.

Kagome sighed. He obviously didn't want to talk about it---she wouldn't push the matter; trying to get Inuyasha to talk about something that he didn't want to talk about was like trying to move a boulder with your pinky: it just wouldn't happen. She picked up her book, continuing to read as she waited to become sleepy.

"Er---Kagome?"

She looked up, curious at his sudden breach of silence. "Yeah?"

He looked at her nervously, his face becoming every bit as red as his haori. "Will you - do you want to -er- uh-"

"Do I want to what?" she asked him patiently, wondering what he was on about. Nothing much could ever fluster Inuyasha, perhaps with the exception of girls, -er- wait just a minute-

His question came very fast, and with the force of a sudden deluge of water. "Kagome, wouldyoubecomemymate?"

She wrinkled her brow. "Huh?"

He took a deep breath...and then proceeded to say it twice as fast. "Willyoubecomemymate?"

She rolled her eyes, cocking an ear over towards him. "What was that? You're talking too fast."

Now he looked about to hyperventilate, looking wild-eyed and his face redder than a tomato. "Will...you...become...my...mate?" he managed to choke out, catching her completely by surprise.

Kagome was only able to gape at him wordlessly, absolutely speechless at his sudden request. "Your...mate?" she finally managed to spit out, her face turning equally red. "_Me?_"

He immediately got on the defensive. "You don't have to if you don't want to, of course," he added quickly. "I'm not Kouga. I'm not gonna force you. You'd hate me anyway."

She was still completely speechless. Was this true? Was this REALLY what she was hearing? If it was then he was basically asking her to be the equivalent of his wife in demon terms...was he really doing this, even if he was planning to become a full-fledged demon later on? Even so, to hell with rationality. She knew what she wanted to do.

She leapt into his trembling arms, startling him as much as he had her. "Of course, you idiot! Of course! What made you think that I wouldn't, anyway?" She thought she heard him breathe a sigh of relief as he returned her embrace, pressing her up tightly against his firm body...

His face showed a look of set grimness when they both pulled away. "Are you sure about this?" he asked her concernedly, lightly massaging her tiny hand within his own large one. "I'm dirt poor...AND I'm a half-demon."

"Don't be stupid," sniffed Kagome. "I don't care about any of that! ...How shallow do you think I am, anyway?!"

He laughed humorlessly, still idly playing with her hand. "Not at all, I guess... But are you sure?"

She stifled a chuckle at the sheer seriousness on his face. "I'm positive."

"Really?"

"Really," she finished, leaning in towards him. Their lips met in a sudden rush of fervor, his tongue reaching in to mingle with hers as his strong arms reached out to snuggle her fragile body against his. His body was so warm, so firm against her; the strength of his hands alone was more than that of her entire being. He was so strong, so dangerous; most girls, perhaps, would have run away screaming from him, but somewhere deep down she had always sensed that those strong hands would never hurt her...

They pulled away when they were both aching for breath, a light smile forming on Inuyasha's lips as he whispered softly: "You're mine then. Forever..."

Kagome could only smile in return. To anyone else she would have said that 'forever was too long a word', but for Inuyasha -well- an eternity was hardly enough. She didn't know what the future held, she didn't know what would become of the two of them, hell, she didn't even know whether or not they would survive the final battle with Naraku, but she definitely knew one thing: she wanted to be here with Inuyasha, right here, right now. There were so many things that could -no- WOULD go wrong, but most important was the fact that right here, right now, the person she had chosen to fall in love with was right there before her very eyes.

She smiled again, lightly tweaking his ears; she always liked the indignant gasp that he let forth whenever she did so. "And this means that if I'm yours then you're _mine _too, right?" She lowered her hand to twine his silky hair around her fingers, positioning herself so that she sat on his lap. She felt him stiffen at the sudden contact, but she went on smoothly, "Because I'm a very possessive girl, after all. I like to touch what's mine."

He smiled a rather uncharacteristic, tight-lipped smile. "Don't go getting yourself into more than you bargained for, wench...because what few things I _do _own I like to use a _lot_."

Before they knew it they were kissing again, this time she taking the initiative every bit as much as he had before. His lips were soft and warm against hers (although also against her neck, her collarbone, her cheek, and even her nose, as he seemed to want to kiss her in every place possible). She held in a pained gasp as his fangs suddenly sunk into her neck, sinking into her white, vulnerable flesh almost savoringly. "I hate that you do this to me," he whispered into her ear hoarsely after he lifted his head. "I've got demon blood in me. A human girl like you shouldn't drive me mad like this."

Kagome drew back from his reddened cheek, still playing with his loose tendrils with one small hand. "Only the same way that you drive _me _mad," she replied softly. "Just please don't hurt me again, whatever you do. That was a lot for me to bear for three whole years."

His eyes bore straight into hers. "Never again...and I could stake my life on it. Pain? Hell, I want to give you the opposite."

They both dove for each other at the same time, his lips searing hers once again as his one of his strong hands partially encircled her waist, the other reaching up to smooth her tangled black hair. A small moan erupted out of Kagome's throat during an especially deep kiss, and her barely-functioning mind registered that though his first kisses with her had been slightly awkward and clumsy, it seemed that he was getting better with her each time. Too better, she observed darkly as his hand especially hit a nerve when straying down to caress her behind. She normally would have been predisposed to keeping him from getting more risque, but she wanted what he was giving her just as badly as he did...

She heard Inuyasha's breath coming out in short pants. "Can I - can I claim you?" he asked her breathlessly as he pulled away from her, his face just inches from her.

She was immediately confused. "Claim...me? As your mate?"

He nodded, reddening. "Yeah..."

She looked at him curiously for a moment, trying to figure out just what he meant exactly. She stared at his handsome, embarrassed face, down to the rosary which hung around his neck, which barely hid the hints of an extremely well-developed, muscular body underneath, and then down to his bulging pants----wait a minute. Oh.

So THAT was what he wanted. Immediately a burst of excitement and anxiety coursed within her; her friends had told her that it would hurt, that trying to please the guy instead of yourself was the main thing you should think about. Then again... For some reason it didn't scare her as much as it normally would have; somehow the prospect of Inuyasha causing her a little pain seemed almost welcoming. Not to mention the thought of that adonis-like body so intimately near her..

"Of course," she finally replied steadily. "...I'm your mate, aren't I?"

He shook his head vigorously. "You don't have to because of that. I mean, if you don't want to-"

"Oh, shut up." She lightly put her finger on his lips, removing them only to kiss them herself. He wouldn't respond at first, but within a few seconds his arms were tightly wrapped around her again, holding as if he would never let go.

"Are you sure?" he murmured as they pulled away, lightly stroking her ebony tendrils away from her face.

"Is that your favorite question tonight?" she replied, smiling as she noted the embarrassed and bewildered look on his face. He even looked scared, partly---either that, or he had no idea what the hell he was doing. Inuyasha looking scared and vulnerable: it was a sight she had had yet to see until now. Tonight would be an interesting night, most definitely...

Author's Note: OK, I'm sure you guys obviously see where this is going. Therefore...anyone who wants the lemon now must go to the following link of mediaminer. Go to my bio and click on the link to my homepage; it's a hidden chapter at mediaminer and virtually unfindable otherwise. Since my mediaminer readers are only on about chapter 13, I don't want to give them the chapter without posting the things leading up to it. I'm warning you, though, this is my first lemon, so I'm positive it's quite crappy. For those of you who do not want the lemon, just go on to the bottom; it has the last few lines of the chapter and review replies.

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They were now both done, but their bodies still both seared with burning heat; Kagome contentedly snuggled up against him as he stretched out, his normally firm muscles loose with relaxation. She burrowed her head against his neck, his sticky hair partly fanning out against her cheek. Her nose tickled as it took in his usual musky scent, now mingled with sweat; he twined his right arm across her stomach, giving it one last caress before he surrendered to sleep. "I can't believe we just did that," he murmured hoarsely into her ear, stroking her damp hair gently.

"I can't believe it either," Kagome answered honestly, too drained to even move, "but I'm glad we did."

And they collapsed in each other's arms, both succumbing to the most peaceful sleep that either had had in years.

Author's Note: So what did you think? I thought that the actual lemon wasn't my best, but OK other than that. You usually need to write at least a few lemons before you get lemonade---heh, sorry for the stupid pun. The "morning after" is in the next chapter...with slightly funny results.

angelica incarnate: Yep, Sango gave him hell. He needs someone to keep him in line, at any rate... :) Glad you liked the funny chapter. I wish I could have had the chance to do another funny one like that, but I figured that I probably needed to keep the main plot on track.

Akashadir: Actually, I AM my own worst nightmare where my writing is concerned. I like to think, "Better me than someone else", but I admit that I probably agonize over the little mistakes way too much. Thanks! :)

Laura: Heh, I thought that Miroku getting a taste of his own medicine was looooong due in coming. :D And I hear that Japanese is a hard language to begin with, so I definitely sympathize with you. I'm taking Latin myself and I spent three hours doing my assignment today. Ick.

sibby4ever: Unfortunately, no, you don't see her friends anymore, although Sota will put in another appearance. When you get to the end you'll see why...

Crystal Twilight: Yeah, I can see why you say that... She sort of actually struck me as normally studious though obviously not at the moment because of a certain brash dog-demon turning her world upside-down... :)

AngelOfLight: Amen about Hojo. He will never show up in this fic again, much to your delight, I'm sure. :D

Green Glitter Haruko: Oh, I know what you're talking about. Well, when Koga said that, he was, um...implying that Inuyasha -er- batted for the other team. Orally. In fact, I probably shouldn't have used that insult because it's politically incorrect. Really sorry if it offends you.

earthshine411: Seriously, Kagome's friends bother me too. They're all about dumb as doorknobs, and for someone as fairly bright as Kagome, they just don't fit together with her very well. Not only that, but they keep on her about Hojo when she obviously wants nothing to do with him. And I beg of you, please do not look for that fanfic, it causes chronic insanity. I have half a mind to submit it to the GAFF forum and let the pros rip it apart; it definitely deserves it.

Also thank you to Inu Sweet Pup Ears, kagome, Delonwethiel, brigurl, Draechaeli, Wildly Shy, Neko no Baka, SakuraBaby, Angelchi, oncealonelygirl, dawne, Angel6582, Ranger000, and Mini Nicka for reviewing!!!

THIS IS MY FIRST LEMON. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM EXTREMELY WELCOME!! 


	18. Revelation

Disclaimer: I didn't when I posted this in June, I didn't when I posted two weeks ago, and I don't now---hell no, I don't own Inuyasha!

Author's Note: Er---warning. Miroku's perversion rate towards the end of this chapter is -erm- rather high...

The scent was spicy and musky, Kagome noted, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Familiar yet not familiar, it piqued her sense of smell and caused her eyes to flutter open.

What she saw shocked the hell out of her.

The surrealness of it all immediately made her wish to faint. Spooned up to her was Inuyasha, snoring lightly and his arms completely enclosing her body. Not to mention the fact that they were both still undressed... She immediately blushed a deep shade of crimson. This was absolutely unreal, and the fact that she had actually enjoyed it was even more unreal. What she had learned of, um, relations beforehand must have been little and wildly inaccurate, because the misconception that she had had before about sex having to be endured and not enjoyed didn't seem to hold true.

__

Mate. She still couldn't quite believe it. Had they really done it last night, or was it another one of her twisted dreams that Inuyasha so often seemed to be involved in? Or perhaps he hadn't really meant it; he would wake up and pretend that nothing had happened, yes, that was it, last night must have just been a wisp of dream floating over into reality---

Her heart skipped several beats when his grip on her shoulder suddenly tightened and she hard him mutter behind her, "Geez, is it morning _already_?!"

She replied dryly, "The sun's up. If it is then I would assume so, grumpy!"

That seemed to break the spell. They both stared at each other dumbfoundedly, mutually self-conscious about the whole situation, as Kagome was completely in his arms and pressed against him; his long silvery hair cascaded down his shoulders in the front, brushing her breast. Predictably, they both reddened considerably at their newfound contact.

"Er---nice morning, isn't it?" she asked him quickly, turning her back on him.

"Yeah, very," he replied in a choked voice.

She never EVER quite knew how it happened anymore, but before she could say knife they were kissing each other again, still between the sheets and still wonderfully close together. She drew in her breath sharply as his strong lips trailed down her neck and chin, eventually making their way down to her breasts, where he nibbled gently. Her breath, however, was even more bated when his tongue slid down yet further, down to her navel, down _past _her navel, and down further still to her-

"Oh!" she shrieked, buckling over as his tongue hit an especially tender spot.

He quickly pulled away, his breath puffing damply onto her shoulder. "...Want to do it again?"

She nodded as he pressed his warm lips onto her collarbone, shuddering as his fangs lightly made contact with her vulnerable skin. "Don't make me wait." A ripple of anticipation coursed through her at the thought of experiencing it yet again...

A small moan passed her lips as he lay back and gently positioned her so that she straddled him precariously, his member hardened uncomfortably against her thigh. But just as they were about to begin---

An age-ridden voice suddenly cut into their interlude, the door having been opened slightly and without a sound. "Are ye two up and about? The others wish for both of you to---" Everyone looked at one another aghast, Kagome shrieking and hurdling on top of Inuyasha, Inuyasha leaning back and looking upside-down at the doorway, and even Old Kaede showing the faintest signs of pinkness in the cheek.

She was finally the first to speak. "Well, I suppose this situation is preferable to the two of you still bickering," she started, turning to leave. "Make haste and get dressed. This is no time for you to be without clothes." She left without another word, the door shutting with a neat click.

"Do you think she's gonna say anything to the others?" Kagome muttered anxiously into the pillow, all desire for doing anything suddenly out the window.

"I hope not," Inuyasha retorted, scowling. "The last thing I want is Miroku begging me for details."

#$&&&

They got underway fairly quickly that morning, saying farewell to Kaede near the Sacred Tree after a hasty breakfast. Kyoko was with her; she was still fairly excited due to the surprise visit by her parents the previous night, and she even attempted to bowl Inuyasha over by wrapping her stubby little arms around his legs.

"Agh, stoppit, you little brat!" He yelped as he nearly tripped over his own feet attempting to extricate her limbs from his. "You're cutting off the blood!" He rolled his eyes at Miroku as the little girl only succeeded in holding on more tightly. "I am NEVER having any of these, you can bet on that!"

"That is all well and good, Inuyasha," Miroku replied mildly, leaning in so that the others could not hear, "but you also must make sure that you do not impregnate anyone...is that not right?" The dog demon could only grit his teeth and turn away.

Meanwhile Kagome was having an equally embarrassing conversation with Kaede a few feet away. "I believe you will be needing this," the old priestess brought up lightly, handing her a small necklace made out of some unknown type of mineral.

Kagome scrutinized it curiously. "Erm---what is it?"

The old woman went on as if not hearing. "If I'm not mistaken you might be needing it so that you can possibly avoid...mishaps..."

"Erm---all right," Kagome replied, turning a bright shade of red (for about the fifth time so far today, to be exact) as she squeezed the charm within her palm. She had caught the subtle hint implying its purpose---and it made her really start to think. _(Oh man, I should have thought about that last night! What if---what if I'm EXPECTING?!) _Normally the mere thought of Inuyasha changing diapers and singing lullabies would have sent her into hysterical giggles, but it didn't even seem a tenth as funny right now. It WAS true that a lot of girls her age, even younger perhaps, were already married and with children in the Feudal Era, but _still..._

"As for you all," Kaede continued in a louder voice, catching the attention of everyone, "I again bid you good luck in this endeavor, as ye will sorely need it. Travel only by day and keep close at night, as direct sunlight often causes certain types of demons to quail. Naraku, I am sure, will have by now suspected that you all once again hold part of the Jewel, so I need not further add that ye must stay on your utmost guard at every second..." She trailed off, staring at them all rather gravely.

"Wait a second," Kagome butted in curiously, "what was that about Naraku knowing? He never was able to sense the Jewel Shards...how would he know if we have any?"

Kaede's mouth tightened into a grim line. 'I do not know, Kagome, but somehow Sesshomaru at the least would have had to know if he was out seeking Shikkon Jewel Shards. I do not know from whence he collects his information, but that just makes it all the more perilous." She turned an almost affectionate gaze onto the young girl, her eyes momentarily belying the worry and suffering that rarely seemed to surface even in the most dangerous of situations. "Just use caution and good sense. Naraku has shown an unusual interest in you by luring you into the well, and I am sure that nothing has changed." She sighed heavily, tugging at Kyoko's hand so that the little girl ceased in gluing herself to Inuyasha's legs. "There ARE things worse than death, Kagome, and I am sure that he would enslave you rather than allow you to die an honorable death... Do not allow it to come to that!" Without another word she picked up Kyoko and began to shuffle off, the only sounds in the entire group being Miroku and Sango's murmured goodbyes to their little daughter.

__

(Worse than death?) Kagome thought grimly, her eyes turning downward towards the rocky ground below them...

T&&&$$#

They made good headway after their slow and rather reluctant start, heading off straight north at a brisk march. Although Naraku's castle was still at the very least five or six days away, they hardly stopped at all as they spent the day traipsing through the forest, which would eventually again give way to plains and then to the towering mountains. No time was spent to stop for a bite to eat, nor was it wasted on the tranquil scenery surrounding them; the general mood was grim, permeating even Shippo's normally infallible spirit.

__

(It's almost like we're all marching to our own funerals,) Kagome thought meekly, trying to keep up with the pace at the rear of the group. _(At the very least my own, anyway...)_

Matters had done a complete turnaround in the past few days, but the worry could still not leave her mind. Just what would _happen _when they confronted Naraku? Would they all suffer slow and painful deaths, as he had promised long ago, or would they finally emerge victorious in this long, seemingly endless quest? Either way, she noted gloomily, things weren't looking good for her...

Last night had ranked as one of the best in her life. Gentle, passionate, and with an innocent side to him that made even her blush, Inuyasha had proven himself to be everything that the stereotypical half-demon was NOT, that demons _could _love, and moreover that sometimes their passions could run deeper than any human's. Why did he have to become a full-fledged demon in order to feel whole?! And the Sacred Jewel itself had certainly proven to be purely one with evil... It wouldn't be so bad if he became a regular demon, one who could keep his emotions in check and who would still retain his feelings for her, but even more likely he would be tainted by the evil of the jewel, becoming a powerful, twisted demon who could snap her neck like a fragile twig. How perverse and frightening, being killed by someone who had just days before made gentle love to you...

Speaking of that, she really REALLY could have used a bath right now. She had never before realized that sex could be so -er- messy, not to mention that every part of her body smelled heavily of Inuyasha. It was almost as if his scent had just _permeated _into her pores; did demons do that when they mated so that others would smell it and thus not touch her? _(I hope Shippo can't smell me,) _she thought anxiously, staring at the little fox demon walking ahead.

The sun brightly shined into the clearing that they were crossing, but Kagome could still not suppress the shudder wriggling its way up from the most remote recesses of her body.

What would be breaking first: her body when Inuyasha got to her, or her mind when she would finally be unable to endure the twisted fairy-tale she was living in?

&&$&&

The sun, if it could have been seen behind the endless layers of canopy and undergrowth, was now setting in an explosive ball of red as the exhausted group finally set down in a small, overgrown clearing to rest. The journey through unyielding forest, like the other two times before, had been fatiguing; even Inuyasha, as eager to press on as he usually was, called for an early halt when the sun's rays still glanced upon the lush forest canopy.

Completely weary to the bone, Kagome could only watch as the others proceeded to make the camp a little more hospitable; Inuyasha and Miroku worked to build and start a fire, while Shippo assisted Sango in making some kind of simian broth, its pungent herbal aroma piquing her nostrils slightly. She was too tired to help, too tired to even _think _at this point; the others, however, seemed to understand this as they continued to work on, considerate enough to not ask for her assistance. She just leaned against a tree wearily, her eyes tightly closed, waiting for the food and then a possible full night's sleep.

Meanwhile, while Inuyasha had temporarily gone off to pick up a few last stray branches for the campfire, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were having a secretive whispered conference out of Kagome's earshot, one of them glancing furtive looks in her direction every few seconds. They had discussed something and had come to an agreement about it, and now they were about to implement the second stage of their plan...

"Are you all sure that now is a good time?" Sango asked worriedly, looking around at her fellow conspirators. "Kagome seems quite tired, and Inuyasha is quieter than usual..."

Miroku brushed her worries off with a wave of his ring-laden hand. "Never mind that, Sango-chan! It's either now or we'll possibly never know! ...And I for one seem to find this quite -ahem- quite a development..." Both the former demonslayer and the little fox demon rolled their eyes pointedly as the amorous monk immediately launched into another "sage" diatribes. "Mmmm...this really brings me back..." He rubbed his chin with his bad hand, gazing dreamily off into the distance. "About when I was sixteen and I had just begun to travel...and when I first happened upon one of the provincial capitals. Ahhhh, I remember all that secret and intrigue...and my time with a group of geisha-"

"WHAT were you doing with a group of geisha?!" Sango cut in, her eyes flashing.

Miroku took the blatant hint. "Er---nothing, Sango-chan!" he laughed nervously, inching away so that he was out of swatting distance. "Did I say something? Not a thing!"

"Shut up, you guys!" Shippo hissed to the couple urgently. "Inuyasha just came back!"

They all stared over towards the fire, on which Inuyasha was piling on a few more branches. Ignoring them, he closed his eyes and sat cross-legged near it and across from Kagome, waiting for the broth heating over the flame to simmer.

"Oh, good!" Shippo whispered. "He didn't hear us!"

"What's all this secrecy for?" Sango piped up, standing. "I mean, the whole point of this is to ask---"

"Shhhhh!" Miroku cut in, delicately putting a finger to her lips. "We are treading on a delicate line! Spontaneity is the key here, and we all must-"

Shippo rolled his eyes and turned away. "What's with all the big words?! Say it plain, Miroku!"

The monk threw up his hands. "Let's just get this over with, then."

They all quietly walked across the clearing towards the fire, where Kagome and Inuyasha were still both resting. Miroku started off by somberly clearing his throat; watching carefully as they both opened their eyes. "Hello there, Inuyasha!" he started off pleasantly. "What a nice day it is, is it not?"

The half-demon scowled. "You walked all the way over here just to tell me THAT?!" He rolled his eyes impatiently. "Geez...you mother must have dropped you on your head harder than I first thought!"

"Of course," the monk went on, ignoring the pointed little barb, "a pleasant day is so much more -er- pleasant when one is in a good mood, do you not agree? And it seems to me that yours has actually been _quite _-er- pleasant..."

Inuyasha waved him on. "Get on with it, monk!"

He gulped visibly. "Yes -er- and we've _all _noticed your - your - nice change of mood. Just what has happened to -uh- bring this on, Inuyasha? Any idea?"

"Maybe it's because you haven't been asking me stupid questions up until now!" the half-demon shot back, only bothering to open one eye.

The group, however, still continued to press on, nonplussed. "We were all thinking that perhaps you and Kagome have finally gotten over your petty quarreling," Sango continued on casually, noting Kagome's obvious discomfort in the whole matter. "Nothing has been happening for at least ten days now. No name-calling...no avoiding one another...not even one bitter word has passed either of your lips since before we were separated."

"What would have brought this on, I wonder?" Miroku pressed on, slowly circling the half-demon, whose eyes were now twitching with agitation. "A reconciliation, perhaps?"

"Maybe a little more?"

"Maybe you've finally noticed how much you've missed Kagome!"

"Or maybe, just maybe you've finally noticed that she has an awfully nice pair of-"

A slap rang in the distance. "MIROKU!"

"OH, ALL RIGHT!" Inuyasha roared, whirling angrily upon the monk, who was rubbing his reddened cheek furiously. "I'VE NOTICED!! IN FACT, I NOTICED THREE YEARS AGO!! ARE YOU SATISFIED NOW?!"

The monk smirked. "My intuition is never wrong."

Sango had to roll her eyes at this one. "It sure seems to be whenever I try to avoid your advances."

He ignored her comment, instead becoming disturbingly excited at the newly-confirmed news. "So have you went down on her yet?" he blurted out at Inuyasha, who was still rather peeved. "I bet she'd enjoy it; Sango really does! And have you tried different positions?! Oh, I know! You're part dog demon, so that would mean the two of you would do it doggie sty-"

"MIROKU!!" Two separate voices rang out into the fray. Sango and Kagome were both furious at Miroku's shameless (but altogether expected) audacity. The monk, sensing that violence was nigh, backed off immediately, only to step right into Inuyasha, who was still sitting there with a confused look on his face.

"What's doggie style?" he asked the perverted young man perplexedly.

The tension was immediately eradicated. The entire group suddenly burst into unforced laughter, even Shippo, who (hopefully) had no idea what Miroku had meant. Even Kagome got a few chortles in, although her face was a blazing shade of red. When Sango knelt down and whispered into her ear "_please _tell me he's joking", she refused to answer.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, was turning an interesting shade of purple. "WHAT?!" he snapped, crossly looking from side-to-side. "What's so funny?!"

This only caused everyone to laugh even harder, their combined efforts so loud that they far drowned out Inuyasha's gasps of anger.

Miroku, however, decided to take a step further. "Well, Inuyasha," he began, clearing his throat, "doggie style, as they call it, is when you-"

He was immediately hit by a barrage of twigs and some really hard apples from Sango's foodsack, courtesy of the females of the group. Now even Inuyasha laughed, watching the distraught monk sputter as he dodged the dangerous missiles.

Kagome laughed along with the rest of him, a tinge of hope suddenly filling her heart as they all just sat there, full of mirth and temporarily forgetting the dark situation that lay on the horizon. It was good to just sit there and laugh; it had been a long time since she had truly laughed, and it had perhaps even been a longer time for the others.

Maybe---just maybe---everything could turn out all right in the end.

&(&(&#$#$##$

Draechaeli: -sweatdrop- A THREE minute lemon?! Guess she wasn't very satisfied...

Laura: Yeah, I definitely see why it would be argued that they're going too fast... In fact, I probably would have said the same thing if this fic would have been someone else's and _I_ was the reader. XX When I wrote chapters 13-17 (during last J-Term, I might add, which explains why I cranked out as much as I did), it usually took me about a week to do a chapter. I might have lost perspective considering it took me that long, I dunno... And - Ita vero, Latinum habet. I might go on a trip this spring too, to Rome in March. That is, if I'm lucky. :)

earthshine-411: -snorts- Huge BOBBLERS?! Hehe, I can just imagine a lemon scene with that in it---Kagome shoved her huge bobblers into Inuyasha's face, knocking him to the ground and giving him a concussion. The End. I'm sorry, can't help you with the Kenshin and the Yu Yu Hakusho fics. While I have seen a little bit of both, I've never read fanfic. In fact, I'm ashamed to say that Dragonball Z is the only other anime/manga that I read fanfics for---in fact, I've even written a couple. If you want to know about those, I'm familiar with some really popular (AND good) fics there.

VB: Not quite yet, I'm saving that for later. :)

angelica incarnate: Choppy, yes, especially since I've looked back at it. I'm not planning a lemon for the fic I'm currently writing now, but I'm sure I will do one again at some point, so I'll store what I've learned for later. And yeah, I'm putting in some more fluff humor, like in this chapter. I can't really squeeze it in during the final battle chapters (and there's three or four of them), but it'll be there when it can. :)

Also thank you to twidget, inuyashas-chicky-13, ProudMuggleGirl, sibby4ever, evle, Angel6582, Crystal Twilight, ME, AnimeAngelz, Delothwethiel, and Brigurl for reviewing. You guys kick ass! :D


	19. Flirtation

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not owned by me in any way, shape, or form.

Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry! It's been, maybe, three or four weeks? Don't worry, I'm actually still alive. Life caught up with me, not to mention I just finished with finals week, which had me completely immersed in homework for the longest time.

When I was first writing this fic, this coming chapter originally didn't make the cut, as I cited it badly written and diversionary from the plot. However, one day I found the file, read it again, and wondered why the hell I cut it, since the content in this chapter was a great opportunity to flesh out Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship some more. I finished the chapter, spruced it up a little, and here it is!

And also: there is a PERVERT ALERT for this chapter! Yes, Miroku's at it again...

The story of the priestess Midoriko has also been slightly altered from the canon. Artistic license, no?

&&YU(U&

Kagome stood on quietly as Miroku continually haggled with the innkeeper, who seemed to have his heart set on a higher monetary value than what they all even had combined. They had been at it for at least ten minutes running and it was getting rather tiring, though she could do nothing but continue to stand aside and wait for her Buddhist friend to come through with the bargaining.

__

(Idiots...) she thought exhaustedly, referring to the slough of innkeepers she had met over their travels who seemed to jack up the price with every hour closer to dark. _(They don't care how many people they have to turn away, just as long as they make a profit for the night.)_

She stared at the little middle-aged man whom Miroku was haggling with, who was half his height and sporting a curly little mustache that fitted his stereotype completely as the devious merchant. "I apologize, my friend, but as I said, there are absolutely no rooms to spare on this busy night. There has been much coming and going on the main road for the past week. Perhaps another village attack in the north?" He twirled his mustache expertly. "However, if you wish," he started again slowly, drawing closer to the irritated-looking monk, "I _could _secure the very last room for you, if..._if _you pay no less than twenty-five silver between the four of you and your---and your---" -he gestured towards Shippo, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking distracted--- "delightful little pet."

"TWENTY-FIVE SILVER?!" Miroku interjected, aghast, temporarily letting down his guard. "But I had haggled you down to fifteen!"

The innkeeper shrugged disinterestedly. "Surely you have twenty-five silver to part with if you want the room, my friend...after all, you _have _kept many minutes of my time trying to bargain for it..."

"HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!!" an angry voice rung out from a darkened corner. To no one's surprise (except for the fact that he hadn't bothered until now), Inuyasha emerged from out of the shadows, definitely looking on the pissed side. "I know damn well that you have at least more than one empty room up there, and-"

Again, to no one's surprise, the innkeeper's eyes practically bulged out of his head. "Y-_you! _You're - you're a _demon!_ I-"

"Great observation," Inuyasha spat, coming right up to him and crossing his arms. "Now are you gonna give us the damn room or not?!"

The little man gulped. "Y-yes, of course! Five silver! Yes, five silver! Th-that's all I'll be needing!"

The half-demon sniffed. "Now that's better." He allowed himself to stand aside as Miroku stepped up to pay the wretched man.

"Second floor, my friends!" he called out behind them as they went up the stairs. "Third door on the left!"

&&&&Y

"See? Just what I thought," Inuyasha snorted, throwing his pack down onto the dusty floor. "The room sucks, not to mention half of 'em on this floor are still empty tonight."

Miroku yawned. "Oh well, as long as we got our way, I suppose..." He looked around at everyone, grinning broadly. "Heh, did you see the way he wet himself when Inuyasha stepped out? Works like a charm every time!"

"Hmph!" Kagome sniffed, unpacking a few necessities from her bag. "I wish we wouldn't have had to stand and wait for five years, though!"

"You're all expecting too much from a merchant." Sango rolled her eyes, staring at the unmade beds in disgust. "Though I bet he wasn't lying about the number of guests he's been having." She sighed darkly. "Those whispers we've been hearing all week about that fishing town being destroyed...I bet they're true..."

Miroku looked up from riffling through his bag. "Not surprising, being the fact that we are so close to Naraku's castle," he said thoughtfully, wincing as his hard search only produced a half-eaten apple. "Dammit!" he exclaimed, throwing it on one of the beds, where Shippo promptly collected it. "We have not a crust of bread between us!"

"I suppose we ought to check whether or not the market's closed for the day yet," Sango said thoughtfully, opening the ratty window curtains to reveal the early evening sunshine filtering in from the west. "I'm sure that any food we could get here wouldn't exactly be savory..."

Kagome exhaustedly slumped down upon the hard, questionably-stained bedding with a low moan. "Well, you guys can go and get some food, but I'm too tired to even move! Just don't take a long time so that I die of hunger!"

A faint smile appeared upon Miroku's lips. "...I suppose we couldn't let you starve to death, Kagome, or we'd be having a definite problem with our goals." He looked around expectantly at the others. "Well, shall we go?"

Everyone murmured in agreement and within a minute Kagome was the only one left in the room. She, however, didn't really mind; getting up from the bed, she proceeded to rifle through her knapsack and eventually produced a dark, thick blanket (in fact, the same one she had worn during her precarious encounters with Inuyasha), putting that over all the covers so that she would not come into contact with those disgusting-looking stains. She shook her head ruefully. Inns in feudal Japan, they were all the same...dirty, smelly, and with a rather unsavory clientele...

Not to mention there was the approaching thunderstorm. She had noticed the clouds building all day, and now the distant rumble of thunder and the recent appearance of lightning illuminating the failing day signified that the dam was bursting at last. She had always been afraid of thunderstorms, especially when she was all alone...

She was beyond caring at this point, however. With four straight days of trekking through mountains, forest, and rocky plains, every waking moment seemed lately to have been spent in a complete daze. Not to mention that some nauseating stain and a little bit of thunder didn't even compare to what she'd probably be facing twenty-four hours from now...

They were very close, she knew. Not only did the bitter hints coming from her companions tell her so, but also the look of grimness on their faces with each passing second... They had been to Naraku's castle before, she knew, but that had been a few months after she had returned to the future, and she luckily had not been there to witness their humiliating defeat.

But what would stop them from being defeated _this _time?! Their only advantage was that they had a few Jewel Shards, and really, what difference did THAT really make in the end if they didn't have the rest? This had always been such a burden upon her shoulders, the thought of failing their quest... The future basically depended on her and her companions, and if there was one slip-up she possibly may not have a future to return to.

Of course, the alternative of actually REUNITING the Shikkon Jewel wasn't too tantalizing either, as she reminded herself for about the millionth time that day. What would _happen _when Inuyasha would make his wish and transform into a full-blooded demon? Would his fangs grow longer? Would his eyes turn from their gentle amber to that cold, blood red that most demons had? And there was more to be considered than just his external appearance... His mind would most likely change as well, his disposition changed to that of a demon's... She _had _met a few good demons, such as Shippo and Jinenji, but the evil ones definitely constituted the majority. How many _times _now had they been forced to fight for their lives because of some ambitious demon who wanted to attain the power of the Shikkon Jewel?

She sighed, nuzzling her head further into the pillow as she heard the distant boom of thunder. _(Inuyasha, why won't you just SEE?! No matter how well-intentioned you might be now, it will corrupt you in the end! That Jewel is evil! Even if you wished for the most wonderful thing in the world, something bad would STILL happen! Don't you understand? Don't you see?...)_

She inclined her head towards the dilapidated wooden door as it opened with a creak; it was only Inuyasha, who, seeing her lying on the bed, started and tried to shut it as quietly as he could. "It's all right," Kagome told him sullenly, sitting up. "I'm awake..."

"Oh," he replied shortly, immediately noticing the troubled look on her face. "...Hey, what's wrong?" he added, sitting down at the foot of the bed.

Something inside Kagome tightened as he asked her this, but she was determined to make voice of her worries. "Oh, nothing..." she lied, turning onto her side. "I just can't sleep very well sometimes, especially when I'm in the past..."

She shuddered as she felt his warm hand caress her side. "I think I could help you with that," he said huskily, drawing closer to rearrange her unruly locks.

She felt herself stiffen as one of his hands, edged with pointed claws, softly brushed the nape of her neck. "No...not now," she replied honestly.

He began to look even more worried. "...I'm not THAT bad at it, am I?"

She whirled upon him quickly. "NO, Inuyasha! For crying out loud..." she huffed frustratedly. "I'm tired and I'm stressed!" Frankly, considering what she had been thinking about earlier, the thought of doing _anything_ sexual with Inuyasha made her stomach turn, as did the thought of doing it with him right on the stained bed in this shabby inn. Not to mention there was the whole thing with Naraku within perhaps hours...

Her ears perked up slightly when she thought she heard him mutter to himself vehemently, "Feh, women!"

He bounced up and fell in a jumble of limbs when the word "SIT!" rang through the air.

"Hey!" he gasped indignantly, sitting back up and glaring at her. "What was THAT for?!"

"Feh, men!" Kagome tutted, her mood taking an upward swing as her lips broadened into a smile. "They don't know WHEN to stop begging!" He blinked furiously as she tweaked his nose.

He let out a low growl of frustration. "Don't DO that!"

"Why not?"

He turned red. "Because - because when you move your smell gets overpowering!"

"And why should I worry about that?"

"Because if you don't then I probably will go to any means to get what I want," he murmured, his lips softly brushing the area just below her ear.

Kagome softened as she felt his wiry arms close in around her waist. "You've got way too much testosterone."

"Whatever THAT is," he retorted, craning his neck so that he could see her face. "Well, if you think I'm bad now, just wait till I go into heat."

For the first time in five days, Kagome managed to giggle. "OK, NOW you're pulling my leg," she shot back, rather amused. "I haven't even heard you MENTION going into heat before."

"Feh! The one time that you were around I purposely sent you home! Do y'think you'd want to be sticking around once I got a whiff of your scent?!"

"Mmmmm, perhaps not," she admittedly honestly as his grip tightened even more. "But I think I lucked out with you anyway, Inuyasha..."

"And why is that?..."

She turned slightly red. "Well, I always thought that if we DID have sex _something _weird would happen...you know, like you'd end up being abnormally large or have some weird fetish or something..."

"Fet-ish?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh, how can I explain it?" she muttered to herself, growing redder by the second. "Well," she began out loud, "to put it simply, it's something weird that you like very, very much..."

He scratched his nose. "Oh, that's what it is?"

"Yup."

"But I DO have one! For ramen!"

"No no, silly!" she giggled, imagining what a ramen fetish would entail. "That's totally wrong! A fetish is sexual, and even though you like ramen, I'm sure it doesn't go THAT far! Got it?"

Inuyasha certainly got it. And although the event had been totally unplanned, before she knew it they were both leaning towards one another, their lips touching softly-

"HA! I _knew _we'd catch you at some point!" a voice triumphantly exclaimed from the doorway.

Inuyasha and Kagome both groaned as the rest of their band all filed one-by-one into the room, all of whom had apparently been watching. They reddened immediately; other than Inuyasha spooning up to her around the fire at night and the odd, chaste peck on the cheek, the others had not actually witnessed them doing anything.

Kagome turned even redder when she saw the owner of the exultant voice, who was prancing around the room a little too excitedly. "You really ought not to wander off alone, Inuyasha, or we might come spying on you!" Miroku patted Inuyasha's shoulder roughly, narrowly missing an angry swipe from the half-demon. "Whatever made you think that you could slip away from us?!"

"I did NOT slip awa-" Inuyasha stalwartly began to protest, but it was then that Miroku turned on Sango, who had been quietly standing near the door.

"Sango-chan!" he moaned piteously, "WHY on earth did you push me like that?! Just two more minutes and we would have been seeing some serious action!"

Sango, as usual, gave him a glare that could have melted arctic ice. "Which is precisely why I pushed you, you pervert! I tell you," she huffed to the others, sitting on the bed, "_that_ man's head is a permanent resident of the gutter!"

Miroku fell silent for a moment, but the whole group knew that they were in for it when his eyes lit up like a couple of overbright beacons. "Which of my heads, Sango-chan?"

Sango wasted no time with his unamusing sexual hijinks. SMACK!!

Inuyasha winced visibly and Kagome collapsed against him laughing when Miroku finally dared to get up from his cowering place on the dirty floor. On the monk's sheepish face there was the largest, reddest handprint that anyone had ever seen on him yet. "Did I say something wrong, Sango-chan?" he asked her mournfully, trying to crawl backwards out of her range.

Sango pursed her lips disapprovingly. "You sure did."

This long conversation probably could have gone on for at least another hour but for the fact that everyone suddenly heard a loud rustling coming from the corner of the room.

"SHIPPO!" Sango exclaimed indignantly, crossing over to it and pulling a rather ravenous little kitsune from the inside of their newly-acquired food bag. "You awful little thief! You've already eaten half the food that we bought!"

Shippo struggled vainly as Sango continued to dangle him in the air by the cuff of his tunic. "Well, if you wouldn't have been yelling and slapping and swearing at each other all this time then maybe you would have noticed!"

Eventually Sango let him go and they all set to what was left of the food in the rucksack, which consisted mostly of some coarse bread and a motley array of early-harvested fruits and vegetables. Everyone sat on the bed and set to the food (with the exclusion of Shippo, who got several angry glares from Sango whenever he chanced a paw near the bag), all of them a little disappointed at the food that Miroku and Sango had managed to hanagle from the late market.

"Feh! Where's the ramen when you need it?!" Inuyasha snorted, stuffing in a piece of bread.

"It's all sitting in Kaede's hut, where you said it would have to stay if _I _didn't want to carry it!" Kagome retorted, giving him a little shove in the side. "Honestly," she added to the others, "you'd think that I was going to be _living _at Kaede's, with all of the bags there and everything." She looked around the room indignantly. "He made me leave my jacket! My JACKET!"

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "It is late August, Kagome," he explained, kicking off his sandals. "The winter snows are not due for at least three months yet. And besides," he added slyly, patting Kagome's shoulder, "take this from a man: if it DOES get cold, he will most likely attempt other ways -er- in which to keep you warm."

"Not everyone's as perverted as you, monk," Inuyasha mumbled through an apple. "Not by a long shot."

"So what's Naraku's castle like?" Kagome asked, trying to change the subject.

Miroku laughed. "Well, obviously it is not a very nice place, Kagome, but seeing as you've never been there..." He cleared his throat. "The castle is situated on a cliff, protected on three sides by the ocean. It is old and crumbling, but the gates around it are practically impregnable."

Inuyasha laughed, his facial scar illuminated in the feeble candlelight. "It was luck that managed to get us in there last time; only God knows what we'll do now. Though I'm guessing that Naraku would _want _us to get in more than anything else..."

Sango laughed nervously. "Well, I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." She paused thoughtfully. "Though that would be tomorrow, wouldn't it? We're close---awfully close. In fact, I half remember this town the last time we passed through."

Miroku nodded. "I remember it as well." He stared at Inuyasha, on whose shoulder Kagome's head was leaning. "That was maybe a month or two after Kagome left---I've never seen Inuyasha so sulky!"

"_You'll _be the one sulking, monk," was the quiet reply, "when you'll be rubbing another wound if you don't _shut it_!"

Shippo's head poked out of the empty rucksack. "Can you guys keep it down?" he asked tiredly. "Geez, I find a place to sleep and you guys won't be quiet!"

Miroku scratched his head. "Heh, maybe we should take a leaf out of Shippo's book and call it a night," he said, getting off the bed and beginning to dig in his pack. "I cannot keep my eyes open for a moment longer, honestly."

Sango got up as well, helping Miroku with their bedding. "I agree with you for once." She turned around to smile at Inuyasha and Kagome. "You two can play the married couple and have the bed, stains and all."

Inuyasha looked confused. "Stains? What kind of sta-"

Kagome, turning red, shrieked out "SIT!" before he could finish his sentence. "Good _night, _Inuyasha!" she exclaimed to him warningly, turning over onto her side.

"But what are you talking about? Are they-"

"I SAID, good NIGHT!"

"But-"

"Good NIGHT!"

"Feh, women anyway! All right then...good NIGHT!"

The storm, now close, gave a resounding boom of thunder, but Kagome was no longer afraid. Snuggling up against his warm side, she buried her head into his shoulder, lulled to sleep by the sound of his beating heart.

Inuyasha snuggled back.

&(&(&)(##

It too was thundering in Kaede's village, and even more so. Lightning illuminated and gnashed angrily against the stormy clouds, spurred on by magnificent cracks of thunder that seemed as if they would rend the entire sky apart. It was a nasty storm to be sure, but also completely normal; the summer had been (and still was) a stormy one, one that often made the rice farmers go scurrying to their fields the next morning.

Thunderstorms were always a catalyst for anxiety for the adults of the village, but the opposite of so for the children. A night with a thunderstorm always meant a story

at Kaede's, a tradition that had developed over the years when a few of the parents noticed that the jumpy children often quieted down with the presence of a bright fire and a good yarn. Tonight was no exception, and the children gathered in hordes at Kaede's shrine, eager to know about what she would tell next. Kyoko was among them, though she was too young to understand what was going on; she sat next to Kaede wide-eyed, taking in everything around her.

"Tonight, children," Kaede began, emerging from the doorway and heading towards the hearth, "I am going to tell ye a story about the Jewel of Four Souls, also called the Shikkon Jewel, or even the Sacred Jewel."

"A jewel?" one of the little boys piped up. "Is it pretty?"

"It is," Kaede replied grimly, "though deceptively so. It is actually something very dangerous, especially if it falls into the wrong hands."

"But why?" the same boy asked her curiously. "What does it do?"

"It all started with the birth of a grand priestess named Midoriko, about five hundred years ago," Kaede explained softly to the children. "This priestess was probably one of the best ever known, and not even the demons trying to kill her could hold a candle to her." She cleared her throat. "In those days demons were even more common than they are now, and villagers like us often had to fight for their lives."

"Demons?" said a girl with pigtails. "Like Inuyasha?"

"Yes," the old woman replied, "though a good number of them were not so -should we say- as _benign _as Inuyasha (and he is only half of a demon!). At any rate, Midoriko hated demons, especially since one had killed her younger sister long ago. In turn, the demons hated Midoriko, since she had the power to kill them. She often traveled out of her hometown, traversing the lands in order to deal with any threatening demons. But one of those times, however-" -here her voice hushed to a mere whisper- "-one of those times her luck ran out and her power failed her."

"How so?" a fat little boy challenged her. "I thought she was the greatest priestess ever!"

Kaede cleared her throat again. "It was in the Kyobe region---in a cave that we now call the Cave of Four Souls. Midoriko had gone into it in order to deal with a ferocious viper that had been plaguing Kyobe for months---instead she found a trap. Surrounding her were hundreds upon hundreds of demons, some of them even fusing in order to increase their power."

A tense silence fell throughout the room, each child hanging on to her every word as she continued on with the story. "The battle continued on for days and days...but with no clear winner. But eventually one side had to succumb to the other, and Midoriko was the loser. In a last resort she attempted to gather all of her power and petrify all the demons; however, she used too much of it and petrified herself as well. She and the horde of demons stand there in the Cave of Four Souls to this day, as a testament to the battle that occurred there hundreds of years ago."

"But what about the Jewel?" the pigtailed girl asked her.

The old priestess smiled. "Patience, patience, I am getting to that, Makiko!" She cleared her throat. "Only one thing in the entire area was not petrified---and that was Midoriko's soul. So full of hatred for the demons was she that it could not take the long journey to the other world; instead it crystallized and pushed itself out of her body, waiting for the day that it could be used towards the eradication of all demons."

"But why?" another little girl sitting by the fire piped up. "There's got to be SOME good demons---aren't there?"

"Midoriko was a great and beautiful priestess, yet she was marred by hatred," Kaede explained calmly to the group. "And so upon her death she placed a great curse upon the Shikkon Jewel: unless held by hands deemed worthy of pursuing her goal, it would consume and eventually destroy its owner."

Now she held the attention of everyone; not only that of the children hanging on to her every word, but that of some of the parents standing in the doorway as well. "Thus began the Shikkon Jewel's tragic history. If held in the hands of someone who held similar goals to Midoriko (namely, destroying or restraining demons), the wish would be made without trouble; the Jewel would then most likely disperse, as Midoriko's soul could now be laid to rest. If held by evil, however, or even someone who did not wish to carry out her plan, her hatred and malice would grow; the Jewel would not only become more powerful and greater wishes could be made multiple times, but its owner would eventually succumb to its unfathomable darkness." She looked around at the wide-eyed audience, the thunder reaching its violent crescendo at the very moment that she paused. "Does the fact that the Shikkon Jewel still exists tell you that it never once has served its purpose? Time and time again weak-minded people have used it for their own betterment; they have only served to perish, taking their greed and ambition with them."

"Why did the demonslayers of Kyobe give it to us fifty years ago, then?" one of the elders at the doorway asked curiously. "I remember well how the Shikkon Jewel ended up plaguing our village with its snares."

Kaede shook her head sadly. "Yes, it is true that Kyobe had had the Jewel in its possession at least a hundred years beforehand, but it was working its deadly trap even upon them by that time. Given the village's bloody nature coupled with the fact that demons and humans were often grappled in deadly battle there, the Jewel was becoming unsettled after a long period of dormancy. The elder was quite afraid of the Jewel's unfriendly sheen, I remember, and entrusted it to my older sister Kikyo for purification." She laughed bitterly. "Unfortunately, though, it was even too much for my sister to purify, hence what happened here fifty years ago. It is strange that evil and bitterness can reside in the hearts of even the best and purest of us all, is it not?"

Eventually all of the children dispersed, yawning and stretching and feeling completely contented as they headed for the door of the shrine, some of them with their parents. Kaede continued to sit by the fire, watching them all leave, hers the only face in the entire village that showed any sign of worriment. She sighed as she fed the healthy fire with a few more logs, her thoughts towards the small group that was probably even now working its way towards Naraku's stronghold.

"Perhaps I should have told them the truth from the beginning..." she sighed, staring into the flames. "Inuyasha, Kagome, even Sango...none of them know the true purpose of the Jewel." She laughed bitterly. "Perhaps I had too high of an opinion of Inuyasha...or even perhaps I did not want to believe what would really happen."

"Humans...demons...gems...it is all getting too much for my tired old mind. Will Inuyasha have the strength to do the right thing...or will he too succumb to the Jewel's silent desires?"

A/N: !shakes head! I really hope I didn't create a plot hole in response to Kaede's story...

Laura: Of course! Inuyasha gets embarrassed and all defensive even if someone implies it in the anime! :) I hope I'll make everything believable in these upcoming battle chapters, especially since I opted to leave Kagura and Kanna out.

earthshine411: If you do check Dragonball Z out, do remember to bring your barf bag if you are watching the English version. The Japanese version makes sense and is good, but the English dub is arguably one of the worst anime dubs ever, especially in the early episodes. In fact, I burst into giggles whenever I watch it because the characters make all of these hilarious grunts and yells when they power up... 0o Yeah, I sound like a real geek now. Glad you liked the chapter! :)

Draechaeli: Yes, Miroku goes to great lengths to get his 'books'. :)

angelica incarnate: Glad you liked perverted Miroku! I'm sometimes worried that he gets a little TOO perverted in this fic. I'm balancing it out now, though; now he's going to get all serious during the final battle.

Also thanks to twidget, kagome, Neko no Baka, mels, inu and kag fan till death, sailor-saturn550, sess'snekofiregoddess, Suga-sweet-and-tasty, brigurl, inuyashaluv0528, x-cleverclaws-x, grand admiral chelli, rb8, Delonwethiel, Angel6582, and Mini Nicka.


	20. Anticipation

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is completely unowned by my person.

Author Note: It's time to change direction---instead of the fluffy chapters you guys have been enjoying thus far, it's time to get into the last battle. Battles are not my forte, but you will find that there will be a lot more going on than just fighting... Expect three or four more chapters yet plus a two part epilogue (chopped in half because it's way too long).

$&&&

Sitting like a brooding watchman on the cliff, the crumbling, almost derelict castle stood in adamant defiance of the steadily falling rain on a fateful midsummer's night, ten days after Kagome and the others had left Kaede's village. Several days to the north of the mountains and located in some of the loneliest and most desolate country that any villain could have hoped for, it had supposedly been one of Naraku's first confiscations in his reign of terror of the land; in fact, he had taken residence there months before Kagome left the group.

Only the darkest rumors of this foreboding structure and its murderous tenant had been passed around in the area beyond; it supposedly was guarded by hundreds of demons and even a fragment of its entire force had the ability to wipe out the strongest of the hans (and in fact, even had). Not only that, but the lord was also a force to be reckoned with. No one in the area had ever seen him and lived to tell the tale, but it was widely known that he was able to possess people's bodies and was also very practiced in the craft of voodoo. With such odds, it was no small wonder that anyone living in the area had long fled.

It was these stories coupled with previous experience that made the group enter the structure on that night with great trepidation. Though the others had been there before and slightly knew what to expect, Kagome peered fearfully into the darkness as the group stealthily entered through a side door. Unable to see a thing as Miroku quietly shut it behind them, she grabbed ahold of Inuyasha's shoulder for added support, though in the end even his sharper eyesight did not actually prove much more useful. Nothing could be seen; nothing could be heard, nothing but the muffled sound of their footsteps and their own hushed whispering, which began presently to alleviate the tension.

"Well...here we are."

"And right in the flesh, too!"

"All that walking...and they at least could have left a light on for us!"

"By the way, why on earth _is_ it so dark in here, anyway?"

"I dunno...maybe Naraku cut down on lighting costs."

"Or he took the entire guard out to attack a village."

"Oh, I know, you guys! Maybe he just likes the dark!"

It was Inuyasha who finally broke the semi-silence. "You idiots!" he burst out angrily. "It's what I've been saying all along! No light, no noise...not even one guard stationed at the front gate! Do you idiots think that maybe, just _maybe, _Naraku has set up a trap for us?!"

A moment of unnerving silence ensued, though even that was quickly broken. Everyone paled considerably when a male voice suddenly boomed out from nearby. "Well, well...perhaps my brother is a lot smarter than I once thought..."

Suddenly the room was filled with light, and the group found themselves surrounded by at least thirty fierce-looking demons, their spears and various other sharp implements at the ready. At the head of all of them stood Sesshomaru, who smirked mockingly at them, his whip at the ready. He gestured grandly towards his motley assortment of well-armored allies, all of various ages and sexes. "My highest vassals, Inuyasha, though you may not remember them; you WERE only a few days old when you were permanently banished from the Western Lands, were you not?"

Inuyasha grimaced, his eyes darting to and fro as he vainly tried to find a way out. "Get on with it, Sesshomaru. I didn't come here to shoot the shit with you."

He smiled wickedly. "Ah, but you will anyway... You see, Inuyasha, I have specific orders to not allow you to leave this room alive. And who am I to defy a direct order from Naraku?"

Inuyasha spat at his feet. "You want to know who you are, eh? Well, you're a coward!" he burst out, unsheathing the Tetsusaiga in one sweep of his arm. The magnificent blade bathing the room in a warm yellowish glow, he pointed the sword straight at his brother, who stared at it with a bemused expression on his face. "WHY did you give me that Shikkon Jewel shard, Sesshomaru?!" He growled frustratedly, clenching one of his fists, using his other arm to draw Kagome nearer in a gesture of protection. "What was the point in the first place?! You know damn well that you most likely could have killed both Kagome and me in our sleep in the gorge that day! So _why_-"

Sesshomaru cut him off with another wicked smile. "Perhaps you are smarter than you appear, my brother, though your perception of my reasoning leaves much to be desired. I did not intend to kill you on that day, or any day, for that matter--- or at least until you had done the dirty work of killing Naraku for me." He chuckled dryly as Inuyasha muttered a nasty oath, pointing Tetusaiga at a straighter path toward Sesshomaru's heart. "I have to give you some credit, however; I wouldn't have guessed that you and the girl would be traveling together of late, especially since Naraku has had much of his army afield searching for her after the Pit Demon died attempting to retrieve her. Be grateful that she was...for she saved your life for the time being." He ended his diatribe with a transparent smile.

Inuyasha's eyes flashed with an angry fire. "Why, you goddamned _arrogant-_"

Kagome grabbed his shoulder desperately. "Don't take his bait, Inuyasha! He's just trying to rile you up so that you do something rash!"

Inuyasha bared his fangs, but did nothing as Sesshomaru smoothly continued on, "What a reasonable little beauty you have there, Inuyasha---disgusting little human though she is. Listen to her advice for a moment while I finish." He looked at the couple calculatingly for a moment and then continued on. "As I've told you before, the Demon Realm hangs by a mere thread under the threat of Naraku. If he is allowed to complete the Shikkon Jewel, then I am sure that he will eventually occupy the Western Lands. Yet I do not have the strength to disobey him at the moment. Therefore I must follow the orders that he has laid down, whether I or my vassals wish to or not."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Just whose side are you on anyway, you moron?!"

Even though she was shaking in her shoes at the sight of all of the demon knights growling and pointing their spears straight at her heart, Kagome sighed in exasperation at his denseness. "What he means, Inuyasha," she said in a disgruntled voice, her grip on his shoulder tightening, "is that although he _is _going to try to kill you right now, he didn't necessarily intend to at first. He didn't want you involved at all at first, but after he saw me, someone who can detect Shikkon Jewel shards, he realized that he could use us to his advantage. He wanted to exploit us by giving us the Shikkon Jewel shard and allowing us to dispose of Naraku for him if we maybe had a chance so that he wouldn't have to do the dirty work. That way he could continue doing whatever he had planned against Naraku undetected, since he doesn't want him overrunning his kingdom. However, Naraku probably got suspicious and then ordered him to use his guard to kill us." She nodded at her confounded mate. "Got it?"

Inuyasha, still using one hand to point the Tetsusaiga, scratched his head. "Um...yeah." Everyone else in the room then proceeded to roll their eyes out of sheer frustration.

This odd (but rather golden) moment was rudely interrupted when suddenly an unpleasantly familiar voice hissed from an upper balcony, "How utterly nice. Hearing about your own planned demise with your own ears and by some of your closest vassals, no less." Everyone sucked in their breath sharply as Naraku was seen leaning slightly over the high marble balcony overhead, one of his characteristic smirks planted firmly on his face. "It is all over," he went on bemusedly, staring straight at Inuyasha and the others. "Your lives end here."

Something clenched and unclenched inside of Kagome's stomach as she noticed Sesshomaru stirring restlessly nearby. "You wouldn't dare," he finally called up to him calmly, ignoring the slight commotion going on among his vassals. "The remaining hundred of my vassals are stationed in the courtyard; they would make short work out of your untrained army."

Naraku sniffed, casually rubbing the worn woodwork of the balcony with one pointed finger. "Oh?" he replied with mock concern. "That little army was..._yours_? Why, I must apologize, Sesshomaru. ...Being not on their guard and not even having their arms at hand, they all dropped at the hand of _my _garrison like flies. _Poor...pitiful...little...flies._" He smacked his hand on the balcony with each word. "I must say, though," he added pointedly, "they _did _put up quite the fight before they had to die, even with my special containment spell that did not allow them to leave the courtyard. Of course my 'untrained' army had at least three losses for every one of yours, but with a standing garrison of nine hundred demons, what would it matter? You will all still perish." Rubbing his neck with the back of his hand, he seemed to savor the moment as his eyes rested on a very scared-looking Kagome, who had settled herself shaking into the crook of one of Inuyasha's arms. "Well...except for _you_, my sweet. For you I have other plans." He chuckled darkly.

Kagome suddenly found herself spinning out of Inuyasha's arms when the half-demon suddenly lifted his sword again and pointed it straight at Naraku. "You sick bastard!" he shouted impatiently, his face growing red. "When I'm done with you you won't even be able to get it up!"

"Temper...temper... You still very much need to work on that temper, Inuyasha..." Naraku paused for a moment, his mouth curling into a malicious smile. "In fact, it was your temper that caused me to be able to take advantage of you like I did. How fortunate I was for you to have had such a great one..." Now his eyes rested on Sesshomaru, who had hitherto been standing quietly and watching the exchange, unsurprisingly showing no sign of anxiety or panic. "And _you, _Lord Sesshomaru, have been far too trusting of me. How could I have not suspected that you were going against me all of these years? The Shikkon Jewel is a threat to all pure-blooded demons everywhere, and I knew that you would hardly approve of my using it. ...You _do _know what I'm getting at, don't you, Lord Sesshomaru?" he asked the tall demon mockingly. "I am sure that you are not like all of the other bumbling idiots who went around in search for a jewel that would reduce them to mortals once put whole."

"My distrust towards you, Naraku, has most likely been apparent since you forced my vassalage," Sesshomaru cut in firmly, stepping towards the balcony. "The Western Lands do not want such a ruler, but were willing to bide their time until our strength was gathered. However, it still puzzles me as to why you went to such trouble to do things thusly. Why that girl? What are your motives for having waited so long? You know as well as I do that you don't need her to detect Shikkon Jewel Shards! So why did you wait?! You could have already had the Jewel and done away with me two years ago!" He shook his head. "Mere lust could not have driven you for three years."

Naraku did not answer. Something flashed in his crimson eyes for a brief moment, but he only bowed his head and made an odd gesture with one hand, the malicious smile returning soon after. "You die here, Lord Sesshomaru...right along with your brother and the dreams of your kingdom. It doesn't matter why I want the girl...or why I used you to collect the Shikkon Jewel shards. All that matters is that you never leave this castle alive."

Suddenly Kagome and the others were aware of doors all around the room opening, of demons silently creeping out from behind Naraku up in the gallery...of every entrance being blocked by the enemy. Dark-haired, sharp-toothed dog-demons, winged gargoyles, fearsome, red-eyed wolves...a motley but deadly array of demons was about to attack them at any moment. Kagome trembled and backed up against Inuyasha, who touched her back reassuringly. However were they going to get out of _this_ one?

Sesshomaru's scarlet eyes flashed as he glared up at Naraku. "Very well then, Naraku," he spat, gesturing for his vassals to surround him. "We fight. But do not expect us to go easily!"

Naraku, not surprisingly, was unperturbed by his threats. Instead he appeared to be chanting an incantation, his hands a flurry of movement and his lips moving without a sound. A small silence ensued, only with a few of the vassals hurriedly drawing their weapons, but it was quickly broken when the sorcerer suddenly raised his left hand, uttering in a commanding tone, "It begins!"

As the demons on the opposing side closed in and as Sesshomaru's vassals and Inuyasha's small party strove to defend themselves, no one seemed to notice the obvious discomfort that had come upon Miroku just when Naraku had ended his spell. He doubled over painfully, clutching his right hand as something black and sinister seemed to pulse from its very insides...

(&(&))$#$

Inuyasha had seen that the situation was bleak from the very beginning. Eyes darting to and fro as he watched the two sides connect and begin the desperate battle, he clenched his teeth as he raised the Tetsusaiga against a marauding ogre demon who seemed to have his sights set on him for lunch. After the body had fallen limply to the floor, he took a moment to stare up at the balcony. Naraku was no longer there...for the moment. He took a moment to wonder where he had disappeared to, but pushed the thought quickly out of his mind when he realized that he had a frightened mate clinging tightly to his shoulder. "Your bow's not gonna work at such a short range," he called out over it to Kagome. "Stay with me!"

He would deal with Naraku later.

Nearby an oversized boomerang sliced through three rather foolish-looking demons whose last words (or rather grunts) to the world were cries of pain. Inuyasha looked expectantly over; surely enough, Sango stepped out from a dark corner, where she had been standing waiting for a good target. "What's going on?" she yelled out to Inuyasha and Kagome. "What about Sesshomaru? Ought we to ally with his vassals for now? After all, we've got a common enemy!"

Inuyasha shrugged, defensively jabbing a frog-demon right in the gizzard. "Well, as long as he's not killing us _now_!" he replied honestly, whipping around to watch his other side. "We're done for if his vassals come for us as well as Naraku's cronies!"

Sango nodded grimly, watching the Demon Realm's vassals fighting Naraku's minions as fiercely as they themselves would. That arrangement would work...for now.

$$&&&((

Shippo stared at Miroku worriedly as he continued to double over, his forehead creased in pain. "Miroku, what's going on?" he asked him anxiously, attempting to pull him away from the main battle and out into a dark but quiet corridor. "What did he do to you?"

Miroku clenched his teeth. "I don't...know. I think it's my - my Wind Tunnel. It - it hurts like hell."

Shippo looked at the battle behind them. "C'mon, we hafta get you outta here," he said honestly, tugging at Miroku's long sleeve. "If it's your Wind Tunnel, then we're all in trouble!"

Miroku straightened painfully. "You're...right, Shippo. Though I wish I could die like a man and keep fighting...I - I'm a danger to everyone if I stay here..."

Shippo nodded curtly, and with that they slowly set off down the dark, gloomy corridor.

$&&()&)($#

Though it definitely was no surprise to him, the outcome of the battle was sorely vexing Inuyasha. Already some of Sesshomaru's vassals were falling to the inexperienced but endless numbers of Naraku's demons. He wasn't even sure how much longer _he _was going to hold out, truth be told...although that wasn't exactly something that he liked to think about, he was immediately reminded as he felt Kagome's grip tighten on his shoulder. If he fell in battle...well...he didn't even want to THINK about what kind of state she'd be in even minutes after his death.

He had just had wonderful luck doing away with another rather large ogre demon when suddenly the bloodcurdling shriek of a female rang through air about twenty feet away, causing both him and Kagome to start in fear. Struggling to slide the Tetsusaiga out of the messy innards of the dying ogre, he immediately spun around to try and find the source of the trouble, but nothing could be seen and nothing else heard in the din of battle. Much to his dismay, though, it seemed that Kagome was thinking the exact same thing that he was...

"Oh, hurry up, Inuyasha!" she shrieked, tugging at his arm. "I'm sure it's Sango! We have to go! NOW!"

They both hurried in the direction of the scream, and soon found that the source of the scream was indeed Sango; she was surrounded by several cruel-looking winged demons. They had knocked away her axe and her boomerang lay cleaved in two; they were now jabbing at her mercilessly, as she no longer had any means in which to defend herself.

Acting quickly, Inuyasha threw himself at one of the demons, lopping its head right off before it even had a chance to react. Motioning for a partially stunned Sango to crawl away while the remaining ones were distracted, he then proceeded to go after those, but soon found that they were overwhelmingly outnumbering him.

"_Shit_!" he cursed vigorously as the Tetsusaiga, now merely a thin, rusty blade, flew out of his hands and fell to the ground with an unnerving clatter. They had him pinned up against the rough, stony wall, and he couldn't even use his claws---they for some reason had no effect on the beasts' armor. All he could do was stand there, stand there and hope for a nice painless death...

...Death WAS painful, wasn't it? He had been on the brink of it before, though he had either gotten out of it somehow or had been unconscious at the time.

Geez, this sucked. Why couldn't he have gone out like a hero instead of being pinned up against a wall looking like he was being molested by a group of winged creatures?

And WHY was it taking so long?! If he had to suffer dying an embarrassing death such as this one, couldn't they at least give him an unhonorable but quick one?!

He opened his eyes cautiously. And quickly shut them again. He wasn't sure if this was an improvement over the winged creatures.

"So...does this mean you'll actually carry your weight in battle, puppy, or are you just gonna slump against the wall like a frightened idiot?"

His eyes snapping open, Inuyasha glared haughtily at Kouga, who was grinning at him with a definite air of superiority, his sword slung over one shoulder and the bodies of the demons lying in a large pool of dark blood at his feet. Taking a moment to look beyond the visage of his hated rival, he noted that Kouga's band was already locked in ferocious battle, apparently helping Sesshomaru and his vassals out. But why were they here?...

"Aren't you supposed to be hiding in a wildlife preserve or something, you big dumb lupine freak?!" he spat, grabbing the Tetsusaiga from the blood-spattered floor and transforming it back to its usual golden brilliance. "You know, trying to jump innocent girls?!"

"Oh, go get put down for rabies, you piece of slime!"

"And YOU go hump someone's leg! ...What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I was worried about Kagome, you idiot!" Kouga shot back, gritting his teeth. "Once my scouts told me where you were headed, I figured it would be SUICIDE if all of you went at this alone! Not that I'm worried about YOU or anything, though, puppy..." He grinned wickedly. "If you die and I happen to win the battle, I'm carrying Kagome off with me, and I guarantee you just after ONE night, she won't even remember your _name, _much less mourn your pathetic death."

"Yeah, because she'll have gone insane looking at your ugly body all night!" Inuyasha spat, then pausing for a moment. "...Don't you find this unsettling that we're arguing in the middle of a battle?!"

The wolf demon shrugged. "Yeah, a little...Where IS Kagome, anyway?" He squinted suspiciously at Inuyasha for a moment. "Hey, don't tell me that you were stupid enough to bring her along her with you..."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "What was I going to do, leave her by the gate with the Sacred Jewel shards?! And we're fine, she's right heee-" His hand shook, still in its pointing motion, as he realized that Kagome was nowhere around. He couldn't see her anywhere else either, for that matter...what had happened to her?

"Oh no, now don't tell me-" Kouga began sharply, but he was cut off by a sharp kick in the shin.

"Look, there's her bow and her backpack." The half-demon pointed to the referred objects, which were lying carelessly on the ground. "Even if she was in trouble she'd hold on to those. It's almost like she was snatched or something-"

They both looked at one another and said the name at the same time. "_Naraku._"

$(()E$Q#!

Shippo tugged at Miroku's long sleeve anxiously. "Um...Miroku?" he proffered hesitantly, forcing the weakened young monk to stop dead in his tracks. "Don't you think we should go back? If this was gonna lead to an exit I think we would have gotten there by now."

The monk sighed in response to the suggestion, looking down the dim, musty corridor, which had seemed to wind on and further and further downward with every step that they took. "No..." he grunted, giving out a small gasp as a spasm of pain made it feel as if his hand would collapse and split in two. "If we go back, everyone's lives will be threatened. While it _would _be nice for all of those demons of Naraku's to perish on behalf of my hand, Kagome and the others would surely be sucked in as well. No, we -or shall we say _I -" _he added pointedly, "-shall continue on _this_ way."

Rolling his eyes, the little fox demon began walking down the corridor again. "Oh, don't be so morbid, Miroku," he snorted, shooting a passing glance at him over his shoulder. "No one said you were gonna die! It could just be a scratch---that's all." Though that last sentence echoed throughout the corridor rather worriedly...

Miroku only would scowl as he continued with limping down the corridor, his left hand clamped tightly onto his right. Shippo was being way too optimistic---this really was it. In that brief moment that Naraku's crimson eyes had locked with his---it was then that he instantly knew. He wasn't sure at the moment exactly how long he had; it could be only a few more minutes...or perhaps another few hours. All he knew was that he had to get as far away from everyone as possible (and that included Shippo, though he currently would have liked to wring his little neck at the moment).

They suddenly turned a corner and were surprised to discover that they had actually wandered down into the dungeons. "Oh, I knew we shouldn't have taken the stairs!" whined Shippo, peering through the dim light at the cracked stone and the numerous cobwebs above him.

"Actually, Shippo..." Miroku wheezed, coming up behind him. "This is fine. I know we're well away---far away." He gestured weakly towards the mouth of the passage with his good hand. "Now go on---get out of here. Leave me be."

Before Shippo could reply indignantly, however, they both jumped as they heard what seemed to be voices within the darkness ahead.

"Go on, boy, give it to me!"

"No! Never!"

"Make haste or I'll slay you!"

"Go right ahead! I don't have much longer to live with this broken body anyway!"

The monk and the little fox crept towards the dungeon in which this was taking place, and were both taken aback to see Sesshomaru standing in there, his hair and robes a gleam of white in the darkness. He seemed to be standing over a crumpled form heaving in the corner, which other than the vague shape was impossible to see in detail.

"I do not have TIME for this, boy! Hand it over!"

"_No!_ You're one of Naraku's henchmen! I'm not stupid!"

"All right then, I suppose I'll have to RIP it out of you-"

"STOP!" Before Miroku could stop him Shippo hurtled onto the reclining form of what sounded like a adolescent boy, trying to prevent Sesshomaru from striking (though not much, honest to say, would probably have prevented the enraged dog-demon from striking at the moment).

Surprisingly, however, Sesshomaru stayed his whip (though he glared at the little fox demon with ill-concealed disdain), magically compressing it back into its handle and tucking it securely within his belt. He stared at the duo expectantly, however; it seemed as if Shippo hadn't delayed him from action for long-

Miroku hurriedly stepped into the dungeon, still clutching his hurt hand with the other as if he would never let go. "Shippo, climb off of him and get back upstairs," he dictated urgently. "There's really no time-"

Almost as if on cue, the rusty iron door of the dungeon shut behind him, making all of them jump in surprise. Even the boy who had been lying sprawled in the corner looked up, revealing a gaunt freckled visage that had appeared to have lost all hope long before.

Sesshomaru smiled sardonically as Miroku tried (and failed) to open the door, even going so far as to using his hurt hand to grip at its ancient bars, rusted and discolored from age. "It won't work, monk," he announced in a toneless voice. "Naraku knows that we are here; he already has his containment spell cast upon this dungeon. With that open wound in your right hand, he intends for us to die within minutes."

Author Note: That be all for now...

For those of you who have figured out what I'm getting at at the end of this chapter, please don't kill me for being cheesy... 00

But I really ought to give an explanation for the absence of many of Naraku's servants (Kagura, Kanna, etc). I had a variety of reasons for leaving them out. When I started this story (now a year and a half ago) I had only seen everything up to the Kouga episodes (Kagura only appears right after these). It's true that Inuyasha's group would already know of her, as I only diverged from the canon after Kouga's tribe was killed off by her, but... Kagura would have been an interesting character to incorporate into the story, but I was afraid that I would be unable to do her and the other servants justice and I also disliked complicating the story, since it confused me enough! :)

Laura: The Great White North? I'll give it a guess...Canada? Interesting, my freezing state borders Canada (though I can't say it's white here right now). Hm, I should have put more thought into the going into heat thing, you made a valid point. And about the jewel...good guess, but the Jewel will actually hold something far more sinister for Kagome, since she is a priestess. But the Jewel's true purpose does have a major impact on the story's end...

Amanda Trinh: Huh? Inuyasha hasn't been cancelled on Adult Swim. They take it off periodically while waiting for the new episodes to be dubbed, but right now they appear to be making new ones. I like the English version of Inuyasha, although I think the Japanese one is better. The charm that Kaede gave Kagome was an anti-conception charm (agh, I sound like I'm talking about Harry Potter). And yes, Naraku knew that they were coming (partly because of Sesshomaru, and partly because of -er- someone else who shows up in the next chapter, can't reveal who yet).

T: Arguably, you are right. I think if I had to change something in this fic, it would be Sesshomaru, but I'd have to be up for a tough task. However...I'm of the bent that Sesshomaru would go into servitude (albeit unwillingly) in order to gather strength behind Naraku's back...especially if his enemy was able to overrun the Western Lands. In this fic Naraku is certainly capable of that, especially if he gets ahold of the Sacred Jewel; if he does, it's basically all over. Sorry if I offend!

earthshine411: -cackles evilly- And the ramen fetish isn't gone yet...it shall return! Never heard of Demon Diary...is it good so far? Yeah, I'm afraid that this story is heading towards a close...about five more chapters, I would say. Don't worry, though, no ambiguous endings or anything; what happens is clear-cut.

Crystal Twilight: I know about the last episode from the Internet...you're right about it being open-ended. I guess I'll have to see what happens at the end of the manga. They might come out with some more movies, but I'm not positive on that rumor either. I still think there's hope about the two getting together in the canon, though.

Drake Clawfang: Oops---er, where did you review? Er---luckily, Sango and Miroku don't know how far they've gone, although it would be a hilarious scenario, since Miroku probably wouldn't let them live it down for about three years. Ummm---no "l" word yet, but it will be coming (at the least expected time).

Also thanks to Space Vixon, Hanyou-ass, twidget, DSakura, Eelfin24, brigurl, Angel6582, draechaeli, LOLLA, queen-of-the-songfics, Maboroshi Kaji, Wildly Shy, and Delonwethiel for reviewing.

I'll try to hurry with the edits to the conclusion. Until then, adios!


	21. Hatred

Disclaimer: Miraculously enough, nothing has changed since when I first started posting this in June. I do NOT own Inuyasha.

&(&))(&&()

Groaning feebly, Kagome clenched her teeth as her eyes flickered open, her body in the midst of a battle for consciousness. She couldn't remember what had happened---one minute she been running after Inuyasha, trying to make sure that Sango was okay, the next she had felt something hit her from behind and cause her to fall to the ground in a dead faint. She wasn't in the middle of the battle anymore, though---where was she, and who had taken her away from the atrium of the castle?

Unfortunately, her questions were quickly answered. Naraku swiftly hovered into view, a sadistic smile curling upon his thin lips. "Well, well, well," he said slowly, licking his lips as if he savored the moment. "Our little priestess is back with us, safe and sound... "

Kagome hissed as one of his long white fingers caressed her leg; Naraku only ignored her, continuing his diatribe softly. "So long it has been, but so worth the wait... I had to utilize all of my skill to get my hands on you, all of my guile, all of my wit... It's been over fifty years since I first dreamed of the possibility of using a blackened, corrupted Sacred Jewel to my desires...but tonight my dreams shall become a reality...Kikyo, bring the Jewel forward!"

Kagome's eyes widened as a shadowy figure approached the raised stone dais on which she lay; her ragged breath drew in sharply as the figure removed her hood and shook shiny black locks away from her porcelain face. It was indeed Kikyo; there was no mistaking that hated personage; it was the same woman whose beautiful visage had haunted her nightmares for the past four years. The woman who had tried to kill her and her friends countless times, the woman who had so often interfered with their plans to recover the Sacred Jewel, that cruel woman who had purposefully ripped Inuyasha away from her...

"You!" Kagome hissed, kicking Naraku's cold fingers away and shaking with uncontrollable rage as her hated enemy stepped closer and closer. "Stay away! I'm warning you, Kikyo---"

"_Silence_!" She blanched as she felt Naraku's heavy hand strike her face, causing tears to spring to her eyes as her cheeks stung in pain from the blow. Covering her face with her small hands, she listened helplessly as Naraku walked around the dais in order to speak with Kikyo.

"Did you get the final Shard from the boy?"

The hated voice---soft, silky, and utterly feminine---replied smoothly, "I did. He will die within the hour---along with Lord Sesshomaru. They are closed off in the dungeons along with the monk."

"Good---very good. He and his vassals are as good as done for... And now, going along to other matters..."

Disliking the tone in his voice, Kagome slowly peeled her hands backward, her very heart jolting as she registered what lay gleaming upon the velvet pillow that Kikyo bore. It was the Sacred Jewel---and this time it was whole. Desperately she groped for the fine chain necklace in which her Jewel Shards were connected to, but to no avail; the chain was gone, and her blouse had been in fact ripped down the front. She shuddered at the thought of Naraku's cold fingers on her neck, slowly removing her Jewel Shard necklace...what was he planning on doing to her?

Naraku, upon seeing her confusion, chuckled heartily. "Yes, that was one of the things that I needed from you, my dear...but I am not still not quite finished with you yet, unfortunately...The Jewel, Kikyo?"

Kikyo, nodding, daintily picked up the round orb from the pillow on which it lie nestled and gave it to Naraku, who seemed to shudder in ecstasy at its very touch. "See this, my little priestess?" he questioned almost soothingly, shoving the Sacred Jewel practically under her nose. "This is the Jewel of Four Souls in its beautiful entirety, not seen whole by anyone for at least fifty years... Now closely look at its radiance...what color do you see?"

Kagome clenched her teeth and refused to answer. Not only was she _never_ going to cooperate with him if she could help it, but he was also obviously toying with her. The Jewel's luminescence was and always was going to be that brilliant shade of violet for all she was concerned; why else wouldn't it be?

Naraku, however, begged to differ. "Violet, isn't it, my silent but pretty one?" he said in response to her supposed indifference. "Well, watch carefully-"

She tensed as he seized her right hand and proceeded to thrust the Jewel into her palm; however, it didn't end there. Again he struck her face, twice on each cheek. She hadn't quite recovered from the smarting of the first blow; it had hurt before, but now it was downright painful. A sudden surge of hatred towards Naraku surged through her veins; she hated him, she _hated _him, and she hated Kikyo too. Both had caused her immeasurable pain...and now she was probably going to die at their hands. She choked back a sob as he withdrew his hand and took back the Jewel, apparently pleased with the results.

"Yes, of course..." The crazed half-demon laughed creepily, revealing a totally transformed Jewel, colored an inky coal black that seemed to ooze hatred and destruction. "You see this, my dear? That blackness is your abhorrence towards me." She flinched as she stared at the deadly black orb glittering in his bone white hand. "You may already know that the Jewel of Four Souls is the soul of a powerful priestess of yore. Since you are a priestess as well, you are able to channel your power into it. If one is holding it and their heart is happy and pure, the Jewel will glow a brilliant white. If one has hateful and vengeful thoughts, it turns blacker than a moonless midnight---much like now."

Kagome stared at the Jewel with a morbid fascination; she could scarcely believe that its black sheen was indeed the embodiment of her hatred towards him. Why would he want such a thing; was it for his own sick pleasure or was it--- Oh no, it couldn't be, it just _couldn't _be-

Naraku's thin lips widened into a big grin as he registered the shock upon her pale face. "Ah yes, you may already have guessed... You see, the Sacred Jewel is actually an entity that grants a wish. Several wishes, in fact, if used properly. And if enough power is channeled into it, its potential is infinite." Kagome shuddered as he placed his free hand upon her bared shoulder. "As it becomes blacker, it steadily is imbued with more power; that is, more power on the part of the wisher. The more hatred you give me...the more power you give me as well." He chuckled evilly, leaning down to smell her tangled hair, apparently pleased at her fear of him.

"It'll never work!" Kagome snarled angrily, ignoring the pain as his claws dug deeper and deeper into her shoulder. "People with even the best intentions have been snared by the Jewel, and your wish will be your undoing!" But even then, she knew that wasn't true... Naraku was already so undone that the blackened Jewel would surely accept his wish, which, no doubt, would be to be a demon more powerful than even the strongest in the Demon Realm. Perhaps even then he would become more ruthless, more cruel than he was even now, which though hard to imagine was very possible... What would become of her?

Naraku patted her tangled hair almost fondly, then turning towards the sturdy stone door at the opposite end of the room. "I will be back, my pet, and I promise to begin with you right away. Not, however, until I have systematically led to the undoing of your precious Inuyasha, who at the moment has already likely begun the search for you. Of course, I am sure that his death will be unbearable for you..." He shut the door behind him with a resounding boom. Left alone with the ever-silent Kikyo, who continued to stand immobile nearby, Kagome rolled over onto her side, letting out a strangled sob as silent tears began to run down her dirt-streaked face...

$&(&)()(

Clenching his teeth as his right hand gave an especially powerful lurch that nearly dispersed his charm beads, Miroku looked on frustratedly as Sesshomaru continued to harangue the half-dead boy in the corner, apparently convinced that he had a Jewel Shard in his possession.

"This is no time for games, you little brat! Hand it over!"

The boy was apparently in mortal pain but valiantly refused to give in. "No!"

"I know that Naraku gave it to you! Hand it over!"

"I said NO!"

"Do you want to live?! That Shard is the only thing that will be able to release us from this cell!"

"Why would I want _you_ to be released?! All you do is follow Naraku around and take his orders and kill people anyway!"

"I am _warning _you: I am still capable of hurting you despite being in this cramped little cell!"

"Go ahead, I'm gonna die anyway! In fact, I already would have been dead years ago but for that cursed Jewel Shard!"

Miroku looked on in interest as Sesshomaru stopped abruptly; that last comment seemed to have made him think a little. Even Shippo, who had hitherto been digging futilely at the crumbling stone at the foot of the cell door with tiny claws, turned around and stared at the pair, one tall and stately, the other bloodstained, filthy, and ragged, his side dripping with dark blood.

Sesshomaru was livid at his realization. "_Why..._did you NOT...tell me that he had already taken it, you - you -"

The answer cut in clearer than glass. "Because you never asked, you spineless chicken!"

Had Miroku been that boy, he definitely not would have been so bold, he reflected as Sesshomaru wordlessly unsheathed his sword and proceeded to stab him straight in the chest. Shippo sprang upon the demon's back with a loud cry of protest, but even by then it was too late. The boy, with a look of a mixture of surprise and terror still etched on his face, slid down the wall and to the ground, inert and no longer breathing.

Miroku was too horrified to shut his mouth. "What on EARTH did you do that for, you filthy, brainless-"

"Shut up," was the flat reply as Sesshomaru knocked Shippo away. "Obviously _you_ are the brainless one, monk; as you can see, he is already stirring."

Indeed, to the pair's surprise, the boy WAS stirring. In fact, it seemed that even his wounds were gone; he was no longer holding his side in pain and even the dark bloodstains that had previously been seeping through his fingers were absent.

Shippo's eyes were as wide as a set of stainless steel plates. "But - but _how?!_" he sputtered in disbelief. "That kid was practically throwing up blood a second ago!"

Miroku, however, was no longer puzzled; he had noticed the familiar sheen of Sesshomaru's sword, a sheen that was the opposite of yet akin to his brother Inuyasha's. "That's the Tenseiga, Shippo," the monk replied softly as he watched the boy stumble unsteadily to his feet. "Remember? Inuyasha's father gave each of his sons a sword; one had the power to kill a hundred demons in one swipe, the other to heal them. Sesshomaru, instead of killing the boy, has indeed revived him."

Sesshomaru silently whirled around to stare at him accusingly. "I did not ask for a recitation of the history of my human-loving family, monk," he spat contemptuously. "I only revived the boy because as we are in a precarious situation-" -here he pointed at Miroku's throbbing hand- "-many heads are better than one."

Miroku normally would have started snickering childishly at his comment, but instead he stared at the floor gravely. "Well honestly, I really do not see a way out of this one," he replied clearly. "My hand is seconds away from killing us all, there is no conceivable way of breaking out of this cell, no one knows that we are down here, and there is no Jewel Shard to help us. In layman's terms, I would say that we're screwed." He stifled a moan as a sudden lurch within his hand almost opened the Wind Tunnel.

But Sesshomaru had already turned to one of the mossy stone walls. "Oh, keep a rein on your tongue, you fatalistic fool! I'm not going to die here without a fight, so I suggest that everyone start looking for a way out. There is too much at stake." He stopped for a moment to look at Miroku haughtily. "And, for the love of Christ, monk, PLEASE keep that curse of yours in check at least until I get out of this cell! Hold onto that hand with your other!" With that he wordlessly turned to the opposite end of the cell, quietly combing it with his remaining arm.

The other three looked at one another, Miroku looking rather sheepish as he grabbed the afflicted hand, strangely relieved about being unable to work at the cell in his last living seconds. Finally Shippo shrugged and resumed digging under the cell door. The other boy, still looking rather faint and shaky despite his miraculous revival, turned to the door himself, trying to hit at it with a mace-like weapon that he had previously kept tucked in his belt. Miroku's brow furrowed as he watched the boy diligently chip away; something seemed to be familiar about him...or perhaps it was his weapon; he somehow dimly recalled something or someone using it in some long ago battle. He just didn't know...

He decided to ask. "Er---so how was it that you came to be locked here and so entangled in this unfortunate mess?" he questioned the boy, whose face was so pale that his freckles seemed to pop right out of it.

The young man stared vacantly for a second, almost as if he was too weary to go on, but then he replied, "It was Naraku. I used to come from a family of demon-slayers in the village of Kyobe; one night during a raid he sneak-attacked us and he killed everyone. The village was destroyed as well, but I'm still not sure how. By all rights I was supposed to be dead that night three years ago, but Naraku brought me back to life by embedding a Shikkon Jewel in my back." He stopped picking at the crumbling doorway, his shoulders sagging.

Miroku's brow shot up. "Yes, yes, I know that the Shikkon Jewel has the power of life and death, though malevolently," he replied hastily. "What then?"

The boy sighed. "I only remember on and off after that...although the Sacred Jewel made me powerful enough to captain a platoon of demons in his army, Naraku has often possessed me since then. I can't remember anything I did while he possessed me; for all I know I probably killed off entire villages." He looked at Miroku seriously. "And now something is happening. Naraku has gathered the entire Shikkon Jewel, I believe, and the rumor is that he has some scheme in order to power it up. That's why he took that shard from me---and had it not been for the power of that sword I would have been dead for sure." He sighed. "I almost wish I had just died..."

Miroku, alarmed though he was at the news that Naraku now probably had the entire Shikkon Jewel, was even _more _alarmed at something he had picked up during the boy's story. "Say, could you repeat the region that you are from?" he asked nervously, giving out a tiny gasp as his hand pulsated yet again.

The adolescent smiled wryly as he resumed with picking at the doorway, which seemed to be crumbling slightly with his efforts. "I'm from Kyobe village, up in the western mountains, sir..."

Miroku gulped visibly. "...And your name?"

"I am Kohaku."

Miroku practically bashed his head on the hard wall out of sheer frustration. "Oh, Lord," he muttered to no one in particular. "If I don't get this kid out of here without sucking him in, Sango will mangle my remains for sure."

$#&(&)(

It all seemed so surreal to Kagome, lying there on that stone dais, silent tears streaming down her face as her eyes stared sightlessly at the dark ceiling. A whirlwind of thoughts streamed through her head, each new one as disjointed and jumbled as the last. She had stopped thinking coherently ten minutes ago, which was the amount of time that had elapsed since Naraku had left the room; since he had left to - to -

__

(I can't believe this...)

(This can't be real, this can't be happening...Oh please, someone wake me up!)

(Any minute now I'll wake up safe in my bed and find that this all never happened and that one night I just dreamt one big, sick dream. I'll still be home, and I'll never have reconciled with Inuyasha, and the Jewel will somehow yet be safe...)

(No, I'm not kidding myself. This is as real as it comes. Unfortunately.)

__

(I never would have guessed that he was planning this... I thought that everything was a coincidence, but... somehow it all seems to come together in a sick, twisted way. He will get what he wants. Me and Kikyo will strengthen the Jewel...my friends will all die in the battle...Sesshomaru and his vassals will die also and get out of his way...and then there's Inuyasha, Naraku's going down there right now to murder him---)

At this thought she sat bolt upright, horrified that it had never quite hit home sooner. "Oh no, Inuyasha!" she cried, climbing off the dais and rushing towards the door. "I have to go, I have to warn him-"

A low voice coming from the other side of the room quickly made her perish any ideas of her leaving it. "I wouldn't try it if I were you, girl...there's no escape anyway, he will find you eventually."

Ignoring the other woman, she attempted to climb off the dais, but only managed a feeble moan as she plummeted to the stone floor below. She tried to get up, but her legs were shaky and her arms and head felt like dead weights. _(What's wrong with me? I can't move without an effort...)_

"Your energy is gone for the time being," boomed Kikyo's voice, till somewhere nearby. "Naraku has channeled your power into the Jewel of Four Souls, and you will be unable to function normally until you have had a chance to soothe your fatigue."

Her face turning crimson with rage, Kagome whirled around towards Kikyo, who had already crossed the room in order to block the doorway. "What do you care about me, anyway?!" she snarled at the undead priestess, who looked at her steadily in return. "You've tried to kill me, you've stolen Jewel Shards from me, and you - you've -"

"-And I also led Naraku the wrong way," the priestess interrupted. "He depends on me far too much; he thinks that I fear him too much to stray." She chuckled darkly, leaning against the door languidly, her priestess garb billowing out from her like some awkward tent. "I have bought Inuyasha some time, depending, of course, whether or not he left immediately upon your disappearance."

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"For the same reason that you would, of course."

Sighing darkly and realizing that she wasn't going to be leaving the room anytime soon, Kagome leaned back against the cold stone dais, a simple action that nevertheless taxed her already waning energy. "All right then," she began boldly, crossing her arms. "Explain what Naraku's going to do with me when he gets back."

Kikyo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" she replied languidly, securing her position against the door. "Imprisonment, torture, rape, the usual things...he has done the latter to me often enough ever since I was forced under his servitude. He isn't very creative with things like that, though he does them very well. I advise you not to struggle, however, it only adds to the black power of the Shikkon."

"You say this so casually," Kagome shot out accusingly. "Hasn't he done those things to you for whatever amount of time he's had you captured?!"

"Of course. I hold the key to the power of the Shikkon, do I not?" She laughed darkly. "However, I suspect that you are the one who holds the true key; the mere fact that he sought you out so long and so persistently shows me that. Using me, he could have had a complete Shikkon Jewel well over three years ago; instead, he waited for an opportunity to seize _you_. I suspect that the potential of your priestess powers exceeds even mine. Do you recall the Pit Demon that crawled out of the Bone-Eaters' Well days ago?"

Kagome nodded uncertainly.

"He has had it ready and waiting for you for years, merely months after you left here and not long after I was forced into his bondage. The moment that you entered the vicinity of the well it was to take you and carry you off to this castle; however, it was not taken into account that you might defeat it. So then, when you were brought to the village-"

Kagome covered her face with her hands in horror. "No, that was _not _why the-"

Kikyo merely smiled. "Yes, it was. You were to be carried off, but yet again you eluded Naraku's demons, much to everyone's surprise. And perhaps you recall the Birds of Paradise who assailed you on the mountaintop? They were sent by Naraku as well."

Kagome looked up. "And what about Sesshomaru? Was his giving us the Jewel Shards just a trap?"

The priestess shook her head. "No, I am afraid not; in fact, he knew nothing about Naraku's plan to kidnap you. Naraku has been watching Sesshomaru for some time, knowing that one day he would slip and reveal his disloyalty. That opportunity was presentable immediately after the Birds of Paradise once again failed to retrieve you, when Naraku sent Sesshomaru out to gather the final Jewel Shards given my directions. The last shard was to be found in the mountains near the village of Shinji; the fact that you and him were to cross paths was determined by Naraku when he ordered Sesshomaru to search. This served as a double purpose; not only was it to reveal Sesshomaru's treachery towards Naraku when he would undoubtedly give you the shards, but it also was an incentive for your group to travel straight to the castle without another failed retrieval. Would you not have come here if you had not even one shard?"

Kagome shook her head. "I doubt it," she replied heavily, kicking listlessly at the dust-coated floor and then falling silent. She could scarcely believe all this; how did Naraku KNOW, how could he have concocted such a clever plan contingent on everyone's actions? It merely showed off his prowess mentally...and of his dominance. How were they ever going to get out of this one alive and sound if he continually proved himself to be smarter than them?

And then, what about this - this WOMAN that was standing in front of the door, that hated priestess who had previously ripped her of the one thing that she truly had ever wanted? Could she really trust everything that Kikyo was saying? And what of her intentions? Did she truly want a world free of Naraku and his hated Shikkon Jewel---or did she just want the world to be rid of _her_?! Even so, there was nothing she could do right now; even if her ability to move should miraculously come back to her, she was sure that Kikyo would not allow her to leave the room. Everything currently rested in Inuyasha's hands.

__

Inuyasha. Where was he now? Was he searching for her, perhaps, or was he still fighting down in the castle's main chamber? Had Naraku found him yet, or had Kikyo been true to her word in saying that she had led him astray? _(Please be safe, Inuyasha! I don't know if I could stand it if Naraku kills you!)_

She snapped out of her reverie when she heard the stone door slowly creak open. Looking up and half-expecting a jubilant Naraku, she sighed in relief when she saw it was only Kikyo going out. The priestess gave her one last warning look as she put a foot outside of the door. "I am leaving. Perhaps I will come back later---or perhaps not. Either way, you will stay in here. Remember, if you stray outside, he will find you, and he will not be pleased." At this she swept outside, the door closing behind her with a loud boom, sounding like an irrevocable death sentence as it did so.

Kagome couldn't stand it anymore. Putting her head in her cold, clammy hands, she wept again, harder than before. Now she was truly alone and vulnerable at Naraku's mercy.

__

(Oh, Inuyasha, please hurry up! You don't know what you'll do to me if you don't get me out of here! You don't know what you'll do to us all!)

$&(&)&&&$###

Lost-In-Dark: OOC means out of character, which is when a fanficcer has written a character inaccurately, making that character act differently than they should. It's a bane of a lot of fanfiction out there, and I'm afraid I'm guilty of it.

Suga-sweet-and-tasty: I'm afraid that Sango didn't show up again in this chapter... Simple explanation: I'm not at all going to focus on the battle raging on in the entrance hall. A cheap way to solve my problem with battle writing scenes, I know, but it wouldn't contribute much to the plot anyway. Sango hasn't disappeared, though; she'll pop up again quite soon. :)

Laura: Yep, I'm from Minnesota, home of the Mall of America! Er, I'm trying my best to keep it from being cliche, but I honestly don't think I'm doing that well in that department. Kagome does directly contribute to frying Naraku, though, later on. I'll have to think about her reaction to Kouga now, though; you brought up a good point about that that I didn't even think about.

Lil Dev G: sheepishly The chapter got bumped up because I added the one where they were in the inn. Kikyo showed up in this one, though, and the uncensored truth about what happened with her shows up in the next one, I promise! And you guessed correctly, Kouga does have a reaction to Inuyasha and Kagome being a couple.

earthshine411: grins Well, I couldn't leave Kouga hanging after what happened in his cave, now could I? Besides, he's hilarious to write (when he's fighting verbally with Inuyasha, at any rate). Bishonen characters, eh? I'm a video gamer myself, more so than an anime watcher, and the games I play are up to the ears in them!

Drake Clawfang: I'll have to keep an eye on the manga now to see what happens, since that ending WAS so open-ended. I really hope that Inuyasha and Kagome get together in canon, although knowing some of the endings I've seen for other series I shouldn't hold my breath...

Also thanks to AnimeAngelz, MyNameIs Rini, inu and kag fan till death, Anonymous (?), anna-7, Delonwethiel, mickey-chan13, and FIRE for reviewing!!


	22. Confrontation

Disclaimer: You wouldn't believe how hard I cried after I learned that I didn't own Inuyasha.

Author Note: I apologize for the slowness of my updating. New semester a shitload of new work. Anyway, here's chapter 22, and it's most likely what the majority of you have been waiting for.

"Get up, moron!" Inuyasha snarled, kicking at Kouga's tanned leg. A moment's previous the wolf-demon, winded from the pursuit of Kagome and Naraku, had slumped down against a tapestry-covered wall, his breath coming out in staccato gasps. Needless to say, this had left Inuyasha much chagrined, and he wasn't going to take it sitting down.

"Naraku's not gonna wait for us to rescue her, ya know!" he snapped at his temporary confederate, kicking out at him again. "We need to get going!'

Kouga glared at the pushy hanyou, his blue eyes looking even icier than usual. "What good am I against Naraku if I don't even have any energy to fight him, you dolt!" he snorted angrily. "That's your main problem, you always rush into everything without even thinking!"

"Oh, and were you thinking when half your tribe was killed off by Naraku and you decided to blame me for it!" Inuyasha snapped, whirling around so that his back was turned towards him. "Though I'm supposing that would have been a perfect excuse just in order to carry Kagome off if you _had_ killed me!"

Fed up, the wolf demon let out a low growl. "Oh, go bite the mailman, you stupid bastard!"

"And why don't _you _get neutered! Maybe then you won't be trying to jump Kagome every time I turn my back!"

"Oh, are you still on about that! Maybe if ya woulda owned up to her from the start and hadn't played those stupid little games to make her think that you hated her"

"Stop putting your snout into my business, peabrain!" Inuyasha hissed, looking at Kouga disdainfully over his broad shoulder. "Just get rested up so we can get the hell out of here!"

There was a shuffling sound as Kouga slowly got to his feet (as well as some rather offensive swearing), and soon the two were out of the room and into another one, a stony silence dominating the proceedings. Just because they were going for the same goal didn't necessarily make them more civil to one another than before; this was only a front of convenience that would unquestionably disband as soon as they reached it.

"I don't like this," Inuyasha muttered as they turned into a dark, wet corridor. "We haven't seen an enemy ever since we left the battle; are we even going the right way?"

Kouga smiled calmly. "We'll get to where we're going eventually. This castle ain't that big; there're only so many places that we can cover."

There was silence again, silence except for the padding of their bare feet and of the occasional splash as they came upon puddles of stagnant water that had collected at dips in the floor. Even the sounds of the battle somewhere underneath them had faded long ago; all that remained was an eerie stillness that was in a way worse than the sounds of blood being spilt. This stillness ceased only when they came upon a fork in the passage, one leading left and the other leading right, neither giving an indication of where they would possibly lead in the end.

"Well, which way now!" Inuyasha spat irately, kicking at one of the water puddles so that droplets sprayed all over the duo. "We don't have time to make a wrong decision! Kagome could get tortured or raped or-"

"Why don't we just split up?" Kouga suggested through clenched teeth, peering down the lefthand corridor. "We'll cover more ground that way, and besides, I'm sick of the sight of ya."

"Sounds good," Inuyasha replied grudgingly. "What happens if one of us gets into trouble?"

Kouga shrugged. "Yell as loudly as you can. I'll try to locate ya and I'll help out...maybe."

The half-demon grunted. "All right. Just don't be whining too muchor I won't bother saving your sorry ass." He gave Kouga one last glare before going down the righthand corridor. "And if you get ahold of Kagome before I do...and if I hear you've done anything to her, well, I'm not exactly human tonight..." He flexed his claws menacingly at him, eliciting an annoyed growl in response. Then he turned away and stalked off, his nose high in the air (though in retrospect he probably should have watched where he was going, as he bumped straight into the stone wall when he should have turned the corner).

Rubbing his nose and indiscriminately blaming Kouga for the mishap under his breath, he continued down the dark corridor, grimacing every now and then when his bare feet connected with the murky lukewarm puddles scattered around. This was getting to be rather frustrating; he had been traversing these dark halls in the castle for probably something close to an hour, and he had come up with nothing. Was she even here? He didn't really want to think about that; for one thing, he didn't have the scarcest idea of where to search for her next

He jumped as the high-pitched shriek interrupted his thoughts.

Immediately turning back at the sound, he ran through the corridor as fast as his feet would allow him, instinctively knowing through both his hearing and his sixth sense that the shriek was coming from Kouga's location. As much as he would have rather let the wolf-demon go and meet a heinous fate at the moment...well...he still kind of needed his help right now...

A door lay ajar at the opposite end of Kouga's corridor, an orangish glow emanating darkly into the hallway. Slowing his pace down to a cautious walk, he carefully pushed the door inwards and entered the room within, his eyes doubling in size as his brain registered what he saw.

The room itself was richly decorated with tapestries and paintings, as well as partially screened by thick wisps of pinkish incense, made almost orange by the eerie candlelight emanating from sconces set in each corner. In one of these corners Kouga lay slumped, inert and eyes closed. At first glance he would have appeared to most as dead or mortally wounded, but Inuyasha knew better; his laborious breathing showed that the wolf youkai was under some sort of sleep spell. But he knew only a handful of people and demons who could so adeptly cast a spell like that, and one of them was-

"Kikyo," he curtly addressed the undead priestess, who was standing on the opposite side of the room near the door.

"Inuyasha," she replied to him in an equally inert tone, her miko's garb rustling loudly as she swiftly crossed the room to face him.

They stared at one another for a moment, both of them at a loss for words. He had been expecting such a confrontation for days, but now it seemed as if he had nothing to say. As for Kikyo, he didn't know why she was being so silent, as his gut was telling him that she had a definite agenda...

Finally she broke the silence. "I disappear without a trace for almost four years and I don't even get a happy reaction?" she replied to him patronizingly. "What happened to the loving Inuyasha that would have given almost anything to me on that day near the waterfall?"

The hanyou clenched his teeth as her dainty white hand brushed his shoulder. "You did something to me that day and you know it," he growled darkly. "And besides, I already knew what you were up to days ago; who else other than you and Kagome would have been able to locate the Shikkon Jewel shards for Sesshomaru?"

She sniffed rather sardonically. "You are smarter than Naraku gives you credit for," she voiced aloud, smiling as she felt in jump in reaction to her hand massaging his chest, "though you still don't seem to believe that I was taken rather than working for this voluntarily." She looked up at him, his face set taut and grim. "You do realize the amount of danger you will be in if you go on, I hope?"

"Oh, I do," he snarled, his face slowly growing crimson as her other hand joined the first one in caressing his chest. "But Kagome's worth any amount of danger."

She ceased with her ministrations, a peculiar look creeping upon her face. "Kagomemy reincarnation...yes," she said in a barely audible voice, stepping back slightly.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow but quickly came to his senses, unsheathing Tetsusaiga and starting for the door. "Yes, Kagome! The Kagome that I have to save right now, or - or -"

He was cut short when Kikyo side-stepped him and blocked the way to the door. "Why do you go on caring for a mere shadow of me," she began firmly, "when you can have the one whom casts it! Inuyasha..."

She paused, sighing as she tentatively extended her hand in order to smooth his silky tresses. "Inuyasha, I was the first that you loved. We could have had a long and happy life together, but for the machinations of greedy Naraku. Even the years that have passed could not have eroded the bond that we once hadInuyasha, please...The Shikkon Jewel has the power to make you human and to revive me from the undead...Inuyasha, please defeat Naraku and wish for both of us to become human!"

Inuyasha shook her hands away, tears threatening to erupt from his eyes as he failed to meet those of his former lover. "Kikyo...this isn't the first time we've talked about this...and it's something that I can't and won't do." He looked up, the look on his face a determined one. "I already know what I'm doing with the Shikkon Jewel if I ever get my hands on it, and it doesn't involve you!"

"But Inuyasha, don't you remember?" she pleaded desperately, her face a mirror image of his own as her eyes swelled up with unshed tears. "Don't you remember the passion that we sharedand don't you ever wonder what could have been years ago? Try to remember, Inuyashatry to remember our passion on that day under the waterfall..."

&())(()

__

He had never felt this way before. Perhaps his off and on lust for Kagome had caused heat to flare up within him every once in a while, but this was different. The sheer exhilaration of it allthe droplets from the waterfall tinkling onto his rosary, the coolness of the water that existed in sheer contrast to his heated chest, the beautiful woman, her raven locks tangled and sticking against his neck, that beautiful woman who was pressed up against him and ready to give him exactly what he wanted...

They were sitting on a warm sunny rock near the spray of the waterfall, she sitting sideways on his lap and he with his arms tightly around her, his chest bare except for the rosary necklace that was cursed forever to be around his neck. They had been like this for some time; he had caught her alluring scent earlier that morning while everyone had been yet asleep, and eventually he had discovered the waterfall. It was there under that waterfall and sitting on that very rock that he had found her, and upon his arrival it seemed that she was now very receptive to his affectionate gestures. This had been a far cry from before, but he immediately took advantage of the change. Whatever was it that had gotten into his head and had told him that she wanted him to die for what he had supposedly done to her?...

He groaned for what must have been the hundredth time as she kissed the nape of his neck, dragging her wet lips all the way down to his equally wet nipple. She knew exactly what she was doingshe knew how to get to him; she always had. First with her elusiveness in those far off days when his only concern was stealing the Shikkon Jewel, then when she had been revived and had vowed to bring him down to hell in that coy way of hers, and now - now this.

It wasn't going to be long now; he could tell by the intensity of their kisses, and of the way she looked at him. It was exhilaratingthe rush of blood pounding through his ears, the whipping of the wind and the spraying of the falls shifting their mingling hair, the heat coursing through both of them that was mere inches away from allowing them to lose their decency right then and there in the pond... He stifled a moan as her hand purposely brushed one of his more tender regions; she seemed to have the same thing in mind as he did, and he was definitely more than ready.

She reached upwards to tweak his ears gently, causing him to give an impatient growl. "You missed me, didn't you?" she murmured to him softly, smiling so that only the edges of her pearly teeth showed.

"Of course I did, Kikyo," he replied quickly, tightening his grip on her tiny hands. "Every day, every secondyou were always right there within my mind." His scarred hand disentangled itself from hers as it slowly reached up to smooth her ebony tendrils.

"As you were in mine," she breathed softly, her hands clumsily fumbling as she tried to untie the string of his pants.

He sighed in anticipation as she finally unfurled the last knot; he had one last thing to say, however, through swollen lips. "Kikyo...it's all over now. You're mine nowforever. And I will protect you from harm always..." Putting his hands around her waist, he then began to push her downwards onto the rock

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

His head snapping up like a gunshot, Inuyasha suddenly let go of Kikyo (who got a nice hit to the head upon the rock), a sense of horrible urgency coming upon him. "Kagome," he breathed softly, the realization of what he was doing suddenly hitting home. "That was Kagome..."

"Why are you saying that awful name?" Kikyo demanded, rubbing her head, a hard quality entering her usually mellow voice. She sat up and looked at Inuyasha, a steely glint apparent in her eyes. When he only stared at her lifelessly, she demanded in an even harder voice, "Forget her! She is nothing to you!"

Inuyasha continued to gape at her for a moment, shock still coursing through his veins as he tried to grasp what was going on. Something felt wrong, very wrong... He looked at the woman before him, noticing a cruel glint in her eye that he had failed to perceive beforehand. What was he doing here...and why was he with HER! For crying out loud, not two months ago she had been out for his blood, pillaging Shikkon Jewel Shards from him and hypnotizing him in order to kill him! Wait a minute, HYPNOTIZING!

He forced himself upwards, almost as if disgusted at Kikyo's touch, disentangling himself from her as he did so. "You fool," she said softly, her voice barely audible over the dull roar of the waterfall. "You're not going to run away at her beck and call, are you?"

This caused him to snap angrily, "A fool, am I! Yeah, I probably am; I took your bait hook, line, and sinker! But I know one thing, even if might be the only thing I know." He paused, grimacing at the sun's rays peeking overhead through the forest canopy. "I love Kagome, alright! I don't just want her for one night, I don't just want her for collecting Jewel Shards, I want HER! Forever! I fell head over heels within the first few days of knowing her! She might be a little young for me to act on right now, but... Settling down...a litter of whiny brats...even giving Naraku every Jewel Shard that I own! I'd do all of that for her in a heartbeat!" He waved his arms carelessly, immediately regretting it when his unknotted pants almost fell down.

"So you love her then?" was the bitter reply. "Then why are you here!"

"I don't know," he said guardedly. "I was hoping that YOU would tell me."

Kikyo laughed sardonically. "It is only the regret and the darkness in your own heart that leads you here, Inuyasha, and nothing else. Perhaps you should think twice before you imply that I no longer am a part of your whole..." She paused brusquely, feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over her as his posture drooped the slightest bit. "And on top of all that, you may be a fool, but I am not! All of this time you have desired for me, yearned for me...and now you're going to throw it all away? You aren't telling yourself the truth, Inuyasha, not in the least."

But the half-demon shook his head, wholly convinced at his own words. "Listen, I - I can't be with you anymore! It's getting to the point where I have to decideand I can't give Kagome up! I can't hurt her anymore! She's managed it all for awhile now, but eventually she'll get fed up with the bullshit and leave me for good!" He kicked at the cold water going up to his knees, watching the droplets splash into the falls.

The former miko clenched her teeth. "But how can you! How can you care for the likes of her when all you see in her is me!"

"She's not you!" he shouted irritably, his face turning crimson. "She might look like you, but I've never seen two more different people!" He turned back around to look at her fully, his eyes shining with frustrated tears. "Was it ever real anyway!" he choked out, fighting to calm himself. "Was it ever real? People change all the time! Different times, different places, different people; hell, I've got all three! And can you seriously say that your feelings for me run as strong as before! I loved you; in fact, I still love you, but…" He trailed off, unable to express the rest of his thought in mere words.

She paused for a moment, looking at him quizzically. The look on his face was passionate, as if he really believed in what he was saying. But still...

"Fifty years have passed," she finally admitted heavily, sitting back down on the rock, "though we've only consciously spent only a fraction of that time..." She stopped momentarily, apparently thinking hard. "Very well," she announced, springing back up. "I will allow you to chase this minx of yours. But remember the consequences of it...foolish demon boy..." She stepped noiselessly out of the pond and walked out of the clearing, winding her way through the trees and out of sight.

Still half-shocked and his head more than a little muddled from the previous proceedings, Inuyasha continued to just stand bare chested in the pond, a multitude of thoughts swirling through his poor mind, the majority of them directly connected with what had just happened. (Did I do the right thing? I mean, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel anything for her...) He clenched his hands so tightly that his claws drew blood in response. (Then again, part of it was her spell... I don't know if I EVER woulda gotten that hot with Kikyo much less anyone without it!)

Yes, there was the spell...and then his latent attraction for Kikyo...all the way up to his current infatuation with Kagome. (I don't know! I just don't know! I want Kagome too! Arghhh...why can I just have BOTH of them!)

And then he thought about one of the last things Kikyo had said before he had disappeared into the forest. (Very well, I will allow you to chase that minx of yours...) She had meant Kagome, right? And it was Kagome whom had dispersed the spell when she had yelled out...wait a minute...

He literally jumped out of the pond and ran through the forest as if he were on fire. "KAGOME!" he thundered, tearing through the trees at a phenomenal rate, his aim to encounter her and explain before she left him for good. "KAGOME, ANSWER ME! I NEED TO EXPLAIN!"

(Please,) he begged silently as he ran on, finding the camp to be completely deserted. (Please don't go where I think you're going... Then I'll never be able to tell you about the biggest mistake I've ever made...)

It wasn't far now, he reflected as he passed the Sacred Tree, his body nothing more than a red blur to any hypothetical passerby. It wasn't far now to the Bone-Eaters' Well, where he was sure she was heading (or had already headed, depending on whether or not he was too late). Maybe he could catch up with her and try to explain, maybe he wouldn't and forever rue that he had delayed in pursuing her, perhaps he would even catch up to her but she would hear none of it...

It was Miroku and not Kagome who came into view first; propped up against the wall, the young monk stared at him calmly, almost as if he had been expecting the hanyou for hours. Inuyasha skidded to a halt mere inches away from his sandaled feet, too winded to speak at first. When he managed to rasp a rather choked, "Where's Kago-" he got cut off with a flick of the monk's hand.

"She is already gone," Miroku said in a tone of ill-concealed disgust, "and frankly I cannot blame her."

What was left of Inuyasha's ego deflated right then and there. "But- but-"

"Why did you do that!" the monk interrupted frustratedly. "That's something that I _would do, you rotten piece of slime! Kagome has been enamoured by you at least ever since I met the two of you, and you - you just -"_

"Shut up," Inuyasha cut in sullenly. "Just shut up." At this point he could no longer control himself, and he wheeled upon the monk furiously. "I KNOW it was my fault, all right!" he shouted. "EVERYTHING WAS! I kept myself obcessing over Kikyo, I never showed her any respect, I didn't - I didn't-" Spurred to action by his strong emotions, he tried to hop into the well, only to be driven back by its strong wards. He was tossed fifteen feet into the air, doing a midair backflip before he cannoned into the grassy ground. Miroku looked on, outwardly calm but feeling a huge wave of sympathy for the half demon wash over him.

It was a couple of minutes before Inuyasha stirred, but when he did his face was totally devoid of any emotion. He stood up, brushing stray grass from his garb, cursing the rays of the bright sun as it happily bathed the scene below in pure light.

"Fuck it," he muttered vehemently, marching off into the trees. "Fuck it all." No one but him ever knew about the warm, wet tear that was coursing down his lean, brown face.

&#&&(&))&#

"Yes," Kikyo breathed softly, her warm breath tickling his fine hair. "Yes...you're reliving it, aren't you?" She looked away momentarily, unable to meet his burning gaze. "...Is there anything that you regret about that day, Inuyasha?"

"The only thing I regret is how easily you snared me with that spell!" he snapped in reply, stepping away.

She sniffed coldly. "As I spoke to you before, Inuyasha," she began, suddenly growing icy rather than tearful, "that spell only works if there is a darkness in the victim's heart, and it works only to strengthen that darkness. If your feelings for me hadn't lingered, then it would not have worked." She laughed darkly. "Can you honestly say that you no longer love me?"

"I'll always love you, Kikyo," he admitted grudgingly, "but I'm not _in _love with you anymore. I had to start over from scratch once I was awakened, my feelings for you included!" He sighed, still unable to look her in the eye. "For all I know, maybe we were just both lonely… I didn't fit in with either the human or demon world, and I remember you telling me about you. You told me you couldn't fall in love, or - or-"

"-Or my spiritual powers would weaken," she finished for him, pushing his chin up with a finger so that he would look at her. "And they did. I DID fall in love with you, Inuyasha," she continued firmly, "and you're only lying to yourself if you say that you didn't do the same."

He gritted his teeth. "I _know, _but-"

"Please, Inuyasha!" she begged again. "Please do as I ask! We can get out of here, leave this place, start a life of our own… Can't you even consider it?"

"No!" he growled, trying to push his way to the door. "I don't have time for this, Kikyo! I need to save her or I will never _ever _forgive myself!"

At this the ex-priestess hung her head. "I suppose not," she replied softly, her arms falling limply to her sides. She stood and appeared to think quietly for a moment, saying and doing nothing. When Inuyasha moved to try to grab for the door again, however, she stirred. "Inuyasha," she began again, "by all rights I should be dead, shouldn't I? My hatred led to my undoing…I should have believed in you with all my heart. My weakness was my distrust and doubt in you… You, however, have a long time to live yet; my arrow was intended to merely put you to sleep instead of slaying you. But as for me…" She sighed, putting a hand to her chest in order to feel her beating heart. "My body is cold. Though the old witch who revived me was able to meld my body and soul back into one entity, she was still far from perfecting the secrets of life and death. My heart beats, yet the blood it pumps is ice cold. Instead of regular food I must consume dead souls in order to survive, continuing an endless cycle in which I and the souls receive no solace. Maybe…maybe it would be better off if I return to my eternal slumber, going back to the ashes from whence I came…Inuyasha, slay me!" she commanded suddenly, throwing herself backwards against the door.

The half-demon was shocked. "But - but _Kikyo_!" he sputtered, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing.

"Inuyasha, please!" she cut in desperately. "It's something that I don't have the strength to do by myself! Slay me, and give the both of us a chance to redeem ourselves!"

Inuyasha was desperate as well. "But Kikyo, I can't!" He gritted his teeth in frustration. "I have a few skeletons in my closet already! Don't make me do something that I'll regret for the rest of my life!"

She closed her eyes, spreading her arms as she leaned even further against the door. "I trust you implicitly, Inuyasha…now deliver me from this living hell! Somehow I feel gladdened, knowing that the last face I shall see is yours…Make haste, or your little minx will be beyond repair!"

Inuyasha froze, knowing what her words possibly implied. It was either now or neverand again he had to make yet another decision that would most definitely affect the remainder of his life.

&((#

Drake Clawfang: Problem is, the manga drags on infinitely. You have to have a lot of patience to read it, especially since the show greatly condenses much of what goes on. I'm not sure if that's good or not...

inuyashaluv0528: He just...is, I guess. I didn't even realize I was doing it until the readers brought it to my attention. He's not under a spell like Inuyasha was or anything...

Catkin Blossom: I looked for the errors that you were talking about, but I couldn't find them. Do you possibly remember so that I could take a look and fix them if I have to? I've got a spring break the second half of the month, so that's probably when I'll update again. Thanks:)

Angel 6582: Nope, Kikyo didn't lie this time. It's to the point where she knows that the truth will hurt Kagome the most of all...

Laura: Beer at a gas station? I don't think I've seen that in Minnesota...if there is, then I'm not looking very closely. About Kohaku...a valid point. He did figure it out when Kohaku said his name, but I'm playing on the fact that it's been three and a half years. Kohaku would have grown into adolescence. I also think that where I diverged from the story, Miroku probably would have seen him only once. I don't know...am I being realistic here?

earthshine411: Yeah, I thought that the 'for Christ's sake' would garner a laugh within a really serious chapter... Besides that, if I'm correct about the time period, then Christianity hadn't quite reached Japanese shores yet.

Also thanks to Mini Nicka, Lost-In-Dark, mirokugirlsadly, VcChick, lover-boy-18, Hanyou-ass, crazedsesshomarufan, x-cleverclaws-x, eveilpriestess345, hentai killer, The-Wolfish-Youkai-One, inu and kag fan till death, and Miyumi-Chan for reviewing. Ya'll rock:)


	23. The Beginning of the End

* * *

Disclaimer: I didn't when I began, and I don't now. I DON'T OWN INUYASHA!

Author's Note: I apologize many hundreds of times! I actually meant to get this chapter up in late March, but it's called 18 college credits and the damn things wouldn't go away. I realize I've probably lost half my readers by now, but I'd better finish what I started.

Just a quick synopsis of what's currently going on:

The final battle with Naraku rages on. Beginning when Naraku killed most of Sesshomaru's vassals in order to cull his pending resistance, the remaining vassals, Kouga's wolves, and Inuyasha & Co. continue to battle it out, though Naraku's side is winning out of sheer numbers.

Naraku has kidnapped Kagome in order to strengthen the Jewel, which is now whole. Her priestess powers, when combined with hateful thoughts, are actually able to turn the Jewel black. Naraku hopes that by doing this, his wishes will become more powerful.

Inuyasha and Kouga, reluctantly teaming up, are currently perusing the castle in order to find Kagome, whom they rightly suspect has been kidnapped by Naraku. They separate after about an hour, but when Inuyasha hears a shriek in the direction of where Kouga has headed, he hurries to investigate. He finds that Kouga has been hit by a powerful sleeping spell, and that the caster was...Kikyo.

Kikyo appears to be league with Naraku...or is she? She actually appears to be enslaved by him, and it almost seems as if she would rather be with Inuyasha. When Inuyasha refuses to run away with her, however, she begs for him to kill her. But will he or not?

Finally, Miroku, having been hit by a spell that will open his Wind Tunnel permanently, has hurried down to the castle basement with Shippo in order to die safely and alone. However, they hear voices in one of the dungeons... It turns out to be Sesshomaru, who has slipped away from the battle in order to take the final shard from a boy who apparently has it, forcibly if he needs to. When Miroku and Shippo run to help the boy, however, the dungeon door magically locks and they are all trapped inside with Miroku, whose Wind Tunnel looks ready to burst any second. Worse still, the boy no longer has the Shard imbedded within him, which means that Naraku has completed it. Our last look at them ends with the group trying to force a way out, and with Miroku learning that the boy is indeed Sango's brother Kohaku, who no longer has the shard imbedded in his back but has now been revived by Sesshomaru's sword.

sighs The way this fic's going, it's just ASKING to be GAFFed:

Her heart pounding in trepidation, Kagome could feel her limbs quaking as she waited for something to happen. She couldn't move, she could barely even breathe; time seemed to crawl by at a snail's pace, one slow second after another. She wanted something to happen---something, _anything, _whether it was good or bad. Still, however, the heavy wooden door did not slide open, and she continued to tremble upon the dais, which stubbornly refused to conform to her arched back.

The wait was agonizing, but it was the only thing that she could do. Running away was not an option. She knew that Naraku needed her alive for his plans, but she wasn't even sure if she had the strength to walk, much less run away. She was afraid, much too afraid, not only of what would happen to her in the end, but Inuyasha and her other friends as well... _(Please, Inuyasha, please hurry... Don't let that freak do anything to me!)_

Her prayers went unanswered, however, when the door creaked open and Naraku stepped into the room, looking rather harried and wilted. Kagome squinted through the dim torchlight to further analyze his face; he definitely did not have the triumphant air that she would have expected from him at this point. _(Could it be?) _she thought excitedly. _(Does this mean that something went wrong? Oh please---PLEASE let this be good news...)_

Naraku was ignoring her for the moment, muttering brokenly to himself as he hurried to each corner of the room to light more torches. She couldn't really catch any of what he said, but that was most likely for the better... Whether the evil half-demon had found Inuyasha or not, she was unable to ascertain; all she knew was that she was still in for it when Naraku finished lighting the torches and sauntered up to her, his usual wicked smile creeping back onto his gaunt features.

Again she shuddered as he ran his bony hand up her leg, only stopping as it reached under the hem of her skirt. "I suppose you will not tell me where Kikyo went, my sweet?" he whispered into her ear, his rancid breath wafting unpleasantly into her nostrils.

"How the hell would I know?" she snarled in reply, fidgeting so that he was forced to withdraw his hand. "STOP THAT!" she shrieked as the hand transferred itself from her leg to her upper lip.

"You're in no position whether or not to tell me to stop," he replied dryly, his other hand caressing her cheekbone. He stopped abruptly in mid-stroke, proceeding to pace the room nervously. "I knew it," she could hear him spit contemptuously. "I knew that saintly little bitch would betray me the second I turned my back! So that's why I could not locate-" Just as suddenly before he turned back towards Kagome, delighting in her gasp as he cast his robe to the ground, revealing his pale torso and the black leggings that he wore underneath. "Never mind, I do not need _her _any longer anyway! I only need...you!" She gulped as he sat next to her on the dais. "Let them flee together! Once the Shikkon shines a midnight black, then they shall be beyond escape anyway!"

Before she could protest he was devouring her neck hungrily, his cold skin contrasting sharply with her warm as his strong arms enveloped her, crushing her mercilessly against his body. "STOP!" she yelled again, kicking out viciously but to no avail. He held her in a merciless, unyielding grip, and something told her that that grip wasn't going to loosen anytime soon...

"Go on, struggle," he declared to her a minute later, having lifted his head from nuzzling her hair. "The more you struggle, the blacker it gets!" Her eyes widened as he produced the already blackened Shikkon Jewel from a pocket in his sword sheathe; he ignored her revulsion and pressed the cold thing into her hand, clasping it tightly with his own so that she could not cast it away. "Just keep struggling, my dear, keep thinking about how much you _loathe _me...do all of those things and my strength shall be unrivaled!" He fell into a contemplative silence for a moment, much like a spider in waiting that was deciding how to trap its next victim. "Well...what shall we do first? The rack? Physical torture? Solitary confinement? Actually-" -he cocked his head, his thin lips snaking upward into a vicious smile- "-I think I'll go with what we were doing before, no woman likes that..."

She tried to turn her head away from him so that she did not have to feel his poisonous lips upon hers, but he only made things miserable for her by putting a hand up her shirt, squeezing and poking and prodding like some little child torturing an insect with a stick. Through all of this he still held onto her right hand tightly; the Shikkon felt like white hot fire in her hand, searing heat emanating from it as it turned blacker and blacker. She tried to keep her mind blank, she tried to keep her thoughts devoid of all emotion, but she was unable to do a very good job, and the jewel only grew hotter. She HATED, she LOATHED Naraku so much!

She stared at him hatefully as he rolled off her again, a triumphant smirk appearing upon his sweaty face as he opened her hand momentarily to check the Jewel's progress. "Blacker than black ebony, as I thought!" he murmured in barely above a whisper. "Black is my favorite color, how about yours?" He laughed cruelly, closing her palm again. "Now for the grand finale! If it only takes that much for it to blacken tenfold, then imagine what will happen when I-"

He was cut short by a disgusted snort coming from the doorway. "Heh, Naraku, you've gotten really careless of late! You kidnap Kagome and you don't even expect me to come after the two of you!"

Naraku's eyes narrowed into slits and Kagome's widened with joy as they both beheld Inuyasha in the doorway, a determined look on his face and the Tetsusaiga held to attention like a large, gleaming thunderbolt. "Get ready, Naraku!" he snarled, advancing a few paces and giving the sword a few warning swings. "I'm not coming for a compromise, I'm coming to kill!"

Naraku, rolling off of Kagome and landing lightly on his feet, unsheathed his own sword and pointed it in the direction of the half-demon, his crimson eyes flashing at the very sight of him. "Try me, you little freak!" he sniffed arrogantly, stepping in front of the dais and screening a terrified Kagome from view. "You truly expect me to allow you to go free after being such a thorn in my side for the past fifty years!"

The hanyou gritted his teeth frustratedly. "You can't live anymore, Naraku... Not after what you've done to everybody. Me, Kikyo, Kagome, Miroku, Sango; hell, you've even made life miserable for the entire Demon Realm!" He stared at Naraku with vengeful, burning eyes, anger boiling within him as he recalled all of the transgressions made against him by the ambitious half-demon. "I don't have a damn clue what you're planning, or why you're doing it; the only thing that I _can_ do is make you-"

Naraku finished his sentence for him. "DIE!" he burst out, leaping for Inuyasha and trying to catch him off guard.

His attempt had been in vain, however, when Inuyasha on instinct raised the Tetsusaiga and matched his blade with Naraku's effortlessly. "Don't finish my sentence for me, Naraku," he spat into the other hanyou's face, which was perspiring and just inches away. "I've interrupted people often enough so that I know it's quite rude..."

Naraku, only growling in reply, attempted to jump him again; again Inuyasha raised the Tetsusaiga to match it. And it was then that the half-demon saw his chance; Naraku, when he had raised his blade for the offensive, had left his lower body totally unprotected. Inuyasha skillfully lowered his sword in a flash and thrust upward, attempting to run it right through Naraku's heart.

He knew that it could very well be his only chance. He knew that Naraku wasn't all that strong physically, but what he lacked in strength he unquestionably made up for in spiritual powers. One magical spell would be enough to ensnare him and kill him...or to possibly even control his mind. That was why he could not fail. He had to do this...for his final revenge. For Miroku. For Sango. For old Kaede. For Kikyo. For Shippo. For Kagome...

He struck. As hard as he could.

* * *

Kagome whimpered upon the dais, keeping her eyes tightly shut so as to not witness the scene. If she opened them and saw Inuyasha lying there bloodied and dead...she wasn't sure if she could bear it. Her limbs trembling uncontrollably and her heart palpitating madly, she just continued to lie to there, praying to every deity past and present that the one she loved would prevail.

* * *

Kouga, who was still lying in the antechamber where Inuyasha had met Kikyo, groaned and stirred, the last remnants of the sleeping spell cast away upon the stagnant air. "Ugh...man, what happened?" he grunted, his legs wobbling as he unsteadily attempted to get back onto his feet. "I don't even know what the hell's going on anymore...did he kill her? Did he kill..._him_!"

* * *

Like a lightning bolt Sango whirled around, slaying an amphibian-like demon in one fierce thrust with her bloodied boomerang. "What's going on!" she shouted to one of the wolf-demons nearby, one of the few still standing. "Suddenly they're getting even more vicious!"

"I don't know," the demon replied anxiously, throwing a stray javelin into the fray, "but it seems like they've got their second wind!"

* * *

Old Lady Kaede stared into the intense flames, trying to divine the outcome of the final battle. It seemed to be no use, however, as all she seemed to see was the eddying of cinder and gray ash. She sighed, frustrated at her weakening ability as she aged, and turned away, muttering to herself vehemently. "A fitting end for the last of the line... I cannot even use my powers of divination anymore. Until the Higurashi clan in the future begins to oversee the shrine, then I am afraid that the Bone-Eaters' Well will be unprotected..." Her eyes widened. "Wait! Higurashi! Why did I not notice this before!"

* * *

"You fool!" Sesshomaru stormed as he desperately tried to cling onto the iron bars of the cell. "This was not the way that I wanted to die!"

"Well, beggars cannot be choosers, now can they!" Miroku called back towards him at the top of his lungs, the roar of the growing Wind Tunnel becoming overpoweringly deafening as it strove to suck everyone in.

Kohaku held on to Shippo with one arm, trying to wedge himself into a crumbling corner with the other as the Void strove further and further to become one with him. "Oh, what can we do!" the little fox sniffed piteously, staring as the monk's attempts to close his hand became more and more feeble. "He can't hold on much longer, I know it! Are we really gonna die here!"

* * *

He struck for everyone. He struck for his parents, he struck for Granny Kaede, he struck for Shippo, he struck for Kikyo, he struck for Miroku and Sango.

Most of all, he struck for Kagome.

He struck. As hard as he could...

* * *

It all seemed so surreal to Kagome as she passed out of the brooding, crumbling gates and back out into the sunlight, which shone weakly through the thick clouds of early dawn. Her legs shaking unsteadily as they threatened to give out under her, she vainly continued to strive for the knoll just outside the shadow of the castle, where it seemed that some of Kouga's wolves were congregating. She didn't know how, she didn't know _why _they were there; all she knew was that she was vaguely glad of the sense of familiarity that it gave her.

She almost crumpled to the ground just under the knoll; she most certainly would have if not for the hand that steadied her. Much to her relief, she found that the owner of that hand was Sango, her armor bloodied and an apprehensive look on her peaked face. The ex-demonslayer's expression suddenly brightened, however, when she found out who she had given assistance to.

"Oh, Sango!" Kagome almost wept for joy, grabbing her close friend in a tight embrace. "It's really you! I didn't know what happened to you; I thought you'd DIED!"

Sango patted her back comfortingly, though she was no less rattled by the night's events. "A whole horde of demons wouldn't have been enough to kill me, Kagome," she said grimly, "not while that bastard Naraku was still living." She paused thoughtfully. "Something happened, though...we had almost lost, but suddenly all of Naraku's demons disappeared into thin air, almost as if - almost as if -"

"Yes, Naraku's dead," Kagome replied flatly, breaking the embrace. "Inuyasha killed him in one strike."

She heard a sigh of relief on Sango's part. "That is a load off my shoulders, Kagome... I didn't know what to expect; even though we won, there's still heavy losses. A third of Kouga's band is what remains alive, and only five of Sesshomaru's vassals made it as well." She stared at her friend hard, instinctively knowing that the sorrowful look on Kagome's face had to do with more than just the trauma of the previous night. "Kagome, what's wrong?... You look as if you're about to faint."

Kagome could hold it in no longer. Burying herself into Sango's shoulder, she began to wail uncontrollably, the pain of the previous days pouring out like a monsoon. "Oh, Sango!" she sobbed, holding her friend in a vise-like grip. "It's Inuyasha! He's in there right now, making his wish! He t-told me to leave, that he had to be alone...but that's not the worst of it... Oh, Sango!" she wailed, "the rosary broke when he killed Naraku! The rosary broke!"

Sango was silent for a moment, but when she spoke her voice trembled with firm resolve. "Listen, Kagome," she tried to explain, lifting her friend's chin with one finger, "I'll protect you from him if I must! Please...just trust me..." She bit her lower lip almost to the point of drawing blood, foretelling that she just may later rue what she was going to say next.

"I knew this would cause you heartbreak if you got to close to him," she continued steadily, clasping her friend's hand tightly, "but please just hold onto the memories with him that you have. He _does_ love you...whenever he looks at you, the look in his eyes is unmistakable. Just please...please remember that for your sake..."

"Having a crying marathon, ladies?"

Both of the girls, completely startled, jumped and looked up only to find Kouga, who had somehow found his way out of the castle despite the lingering aftereffects of Kikyo's sleeping spell. Kagome shrieked and shrank away him, but he only shook his head and held out his hand to stop her, a grin spreading on his face as he did so.

"Listen, I'm not gonna try jumping ya again," he told her reassuringly, unbinding his silky hair so that it tumbled down past his shoulders. "Seriously, I learned my lesson the first time." He scratched his head. "And besides...your puppy'd be eating my balls on a stick if I tried anything." When she shrank away from his hand a second time he sighed and used it to scratch his head again, almost at a loss for words. "Listen, I'm sorry," he attempted again, looking rather humble. "I shouldn't have done that; I shoulda known better. And it's not because I'm afraid of Inuyasha---I just know that you won't settle for anything else."

Kagome gave one last sniff as she stared into the wolf-demon's dark eyes; his apology seemed genuine, and besides, Sango (though she was looking a bit confused at the entire thing) was right there to keep an eye on him. "Oh, all right," she said grudgingly, her voice still a little shaky. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me."

Kouga wrinkled his delicate nose as he caught a whiff of something during a gust of wind. "It's OK, don't get into a sniff about it," he said good-naturedly. "And when I say that, I mean it literally." He covered his nose. "When you're downwind, I can smell that arrogant puppy's scent on you. After our little incident, he sure must not have wasted his time with you, now did he?"

Kagome was aghast. "WHAT!"

"Um---never mind."

The three of them slowly walked up the knoll, none of them really fit for anything. Kouga pursed his thick lips as they all sat in the grass facing the opposite direction of the still smoldering castle. "It was worth it," he declared to Kagome and Sango, dangling his legs over the precipice. "It was all worth it. There might not be too many of my wolves left-" -here he gestured to the forty or so wolves that remained, all of them busy with tending other survivors' wounds- "-but now I know that we can sleep easy. Naraku had already driven us far down that valley---if there was a bad year then we might have starved to death."

He stared at the two girls, their eyes both downcast. "And you know, another thing...when I woke up from the sleeping spell cast on me, Kagome, I saw the woman who cast it dead nearby. She must have had strong powers in order to subdue any sorta demon. Any clue who it was, Kagome?"

Kagome turned towards him numbly. "Nope, not a clue," she replied listlessly, picking up a pebble and chucking it down the knoll. She really didn't want to answer Kouga's question; honestly, she really didn't want to do ANYTHING right now. Inuyasha was in that castle right now, unfettered and unrestrained, wishing to be a full-fledged demon so that he could kill her... However, even _she _could not ignore what Kouga said next.

"Really? You don't know?" he asked her curiously. "The woman looked almost exactly like you, Kagome. In fact, I thought it WAS you at first, and I was ready to clean Inuyasha's clock for killing you." He shook his head. "But I looked closer---and I knew better." He laughed shakily. "What a relief, eh?"

Kagome's momentary shock at the news soon faded away, however; what was the difference if Inuyasha had killed Kikyo anyway, no matter what the reason? That didn't change what he was going to _do_ in the end, did it? She sighed, looking back at the castle. Probably already he was a full-fledged demon, dangerous, murderous, and ready to kill. She looked over at Kouga, who had fallen silent again. Even being a pureblood demon himself, would HE even be able to take on Inuyasha's indomitable spirit? If he couldn't then she might as well say sayonara to the living world...

The next thing to happen was even more remarkable than the last. At first Kagome thought that someone nearby had gone absolutely mad, whooping and hollering like an absolute madman, but as the person got closer to the knoll, her eyebrows suddenly shot up into her bangs as she realized who the whooper and hollerer was.

Sango realized it too. In fact, she was already at the other end of the knoll to meet him, hugging and kissing him as if she would never let go.

Kagome ran up too, genuinely happy that Miroku had somehow made it out alive and well. "You made it!" she cried happily, butting in on the two so that they were all in one embrace.

Miroku smiled proudly. "I did...and that's not the best of it..." He lifted his hand, which was still bound with prayer beads. Quicker than a wink, however, he ripped them off and revealed a perfectly normal, unholy hand; the curse had been broken with the defeat of Naraku.

Sango began crying with happiness. "Oh, Miroku," she sobbed, burying her face into his chest. "I can't believe it; this is all over! You're alive, the curse is broken, and now we can all live peacefully!" She smiled, nuzzling his smooth neck. "And I guess _that _means we can start having the four other children that I want..."

Miroku looked as if he was in pervert's paradise. "Hey, Sango-chan," he began in what he probably thought to be a debonair, seductive voice, "about that...can we start now?" He paused for a minute, jumping back to avoid the swing that the ex-demonslayer had attempted to lay on him. "And -er- well, another thing; maybe we should reduce the number to three children; we are not going to have enough room in the house, what with everyone else, with Shippo and-" He stopped short, mentally smacking himself as he realized that he hadn't actually _told _Sango about Kohaku yet.

Sango looked puzzled. "Shippo and - and - and _who_, my dear?"

Miroku gulped, trying to figure out the best way to explain. "Well," he began slowly, "to make a long story short, Shippo and I made a friend during the battle, during which I was fighting to keep my Wind Tunnel in check. And -er- one of those friends was-"

"Hey, Sango!" Shippo's head suddenly poked up over the knoll's precipice, looking rather dusty and dirty but with a wide grin spread upon his little face. "Great to see that you're alive!"

Sango, turning around to grin at the overjoyed little kitsune, was in for the shock of her life when she saw who was carrying him upon his shoulders. Miroku smiled genuinely, not even bothering to finish his sentence as he gently pushed Sango towards her younger brother.

Sango was speechless for about five seconds, but made up for her silence immediately when she practically bowled Kohaku over when she leapt into his arms. "Oh, Kohaku!" she sobbed, now crying even harder than she had with Miroku. "You're alive...and you're not trying to kill us!" She made an odd choking noise, rubbing her head into Shippo's overlarge tail.

"Yeah, sis, it's me," Kohaku replied, mere inches away from tears himself. "Just me, no Jewel Shards imbedded in me or anything..."

Sango looked up, her swollen eyes staring into those of her younger brother's. "But how?" she asked him curiously. "_How! _You were all set to die once the Shikkon Jewel was complete, and now the thing is whole, it doesn't even exist in fact, but now you're - you're still here with us. Oh, never mind, I don't care!" She hugged him again, her fingernails digging almost painfully into his scrawny back. "As long as you're here with us, nothing matters anymore!" She turned to Miroku, who was still bearing that "I-plugged-the-toilet" look on his face. "Oh Houshi-sama!" she endeavored, looking at her husband pleadingly. "Can we keep him? Please!"

Miroku laughed genuinely, a chiding smile spreading upon his face. "Honestly, Sango-chan," he teased her gently, "you sound as if you were asking for a pet!" He patted her shoulder warmly. "Of course he can stay with us. We would not want to break up a family, would we?"

For probably the first time during their marriage she bowed her head humbly at him, more grateful than words could ever express. "Thank you, Miroku...I am grateful that I made the right choice in marrying you." She started visibly, her mind quickly changing gears as she realized what this all meant. "Oh, but I'm being rude!" she exclaimed suddenly, pushing her husband over towards Kohaku. "I must introduce you to my family---my new family. You already know Miroku, my husband of three years, and the little demon that you're holding on your shoulders is Shippo, our adopted son. And of course there's Kyoko, our little daughter, but obviously she's not here right now---" She stopped short, having realized something not very pleasant.

"What's wrong, Sis?" Kohaku asked innocently, knowing that the familiar sour expression on his older sister's face usually led to profanity or near-violence (and, on some unfortunate occasions, actual violence).

"Miroku..." Sango's tone was extremely quiet, belying the tremendous danger that was in store for her husband. "What was that you said earlier---something about your Wind Tunnel during the battle?"

Miroku, despite having been in similar situations several times before this, answered cheerfully, "Oh, that? Naraku cast a spell on my hand in order to unleash the Wind Tunnel; Shippo and I left the battle and ended up in the dungeons, where we met Kohaku here." He punched the bewildered boy's shoulder playfully. "We got locked in and it looked for some time as if we would all die by my hand, but suddenly the hole in my hand disappeared, the spell containing the dungeon was broken, and we all got out unharmed."

He made as if to ramble on about some other exploits that had occurred on leaving the castle, but Sango cut him off shortly with a mere wave of her hand. "Yes, yes, but that means that you _almost killed my brother with your stupid hand, doesn't it_!" Her towering anger, not having been unleashed like this in perhaps years, surprised Kohaku and most definitely terrified Miroku, who despite this cool morning in late summer was now sweating profusely.

"But Sango-chan!" he protested, his fear making him lapse into his usage of her least favorite pet name, "I didn't mean it! Not at all!" He dropped down to his knees and clasped his hands together, knowing very well that his life (or to put it more accurately, his _sex _life) was at stake. "I had no idea who I was endangering when we were locked in!"

As the howls of agony and the profanity on Sango's part intensified, Kagome turned away, feeling happy for her friends (even for the unfortunate Miroku) but not really feeling joyful about anything else. It took a lot of energy right now---not only to be happy or sad, but even to _breathe. _Her legs clumsily shaking, she turned and sat back down next to Kouga, who was still staring ruminatively at the rising sun, blood red in its journey to the top of the horizon.

"What a night it's been, eh?" he asked her quietly, keeping his eyes fixed away in the distance.

"Yeah," she replied sullenly, kicking at a clump of dirt nearby. "So many things happened---it's so hard to even keep track of everything." She paused thoughtfully, a tinge of regret sounding within her as she realized that this would probably be the last time that she ever would see him. "So what are you going to do now? I mean, Naraku's gone, you and your tribe don't have to live in fear anymore."

Kouga smiled dreamily. "We'll move out of the mountains, down into the plains...finally fill our bellies for a change. Not with you or your friends, of course," he added quickly, noting the look on her peaked face, "though I really wouldn't mind living in the area that you're in." He looked at her calculatingly. "And what about you?"

She froze, not knowing what to say. She knew what she _wanted _to do, though that was certainly and definitely out of the question. Not to mention she had never really thought about it before; what had been preeminent on her mind had to do with Inuyasha and what _he _would do after it all. "Well," she began hesitantly, honestly saying what was on her mind, "I suppose I will go back to my own time. University is starting in two weeks, and I've worked so hard to get there, I-"

Kouga's look alone cut her off. "I thought you were probably gonna stay here with your puppy," he interjected discriminatorily. He stopped and stared at her hard, only opening his mouth again when she did not answer. "Well, AREN'T you!"

Kagome's reply was quite curt, though it was only so in an effort to hold back tears. "It's out of the question," she said dully, refusing to return Kouga's gaze. "It wouldn't work. Not - not anymore."

"Are you kidding!" Kouga spat, wrenching her shoulder around so that she had to face him. "All that crap, all that agony---and you're just gonna let him go!" He gritted his teeth as she nodded mutely. "Listen," he hissed, "I _see _the way that he looks at you...I saw it ever since I met you two! And you're just gonna - you're just gonna -" Snorting in disgust, he got up and stalked off to the opposite side of the knoll, not even bothering to say a word of good-bye.

Kagome wordlessly watched him depart, but she didn't have much time to process what had happened because it was at that point that a tall, slender figure stalked into view. At first she started visibly, thinking that it was Inuyasha version 2.0, but it actually turned out to be Sesshomaru...and he didn't look overly happy. However, destruction of whatever he was unhappy about did not seem to be an option for him, as he merely sniffed and sat on the grass nearby, staring at the rising sun much like Kouga had before he had stormed off.

She never quite knew how it slipped out, but before she knew it she found herself asking the intimidating dog-demon a question. "Er---have you seen Inuyasha recently?" she blurted out at him, immediately regretting opening her mouth in the first place and hoping to all higher deities that he would NOT try to kill her as he had previously.

She found that her fears were grossly misguided, however, when he merely looked her way and replied in a steady voice, "I have..."

This didn't particularly answer her question, but she decided not to push it. At any rate, she'd find out soon enough; moreover, she'd find out firsthand. Therefore she was mildly surprised to see that he hadn't finished talking yet, though either to her or to no one in particular she had no idea.

"I suppose this is the end," she heard him say gloomily, his hand neatly folded upon one knee. "Mortal death is the great equalizer for all beings, and it seems that I am just another of its victims. There is no glory or power to be had in Naraku anymore, nor can I make use of the Tetsusaiga...ever. I suppose it would be best to finally return to my seat in the Western Lands permanently and to tell the situation to all of its citizens... My ambition is completely gone."

Kagome listened keenly, though she had no idea what he was talking about. Her initial guess was that whatever he had had cooking up against Naraku was no longer possible, and he no longer had anything to direct his energies to, but that still didn't explain why he looked so...sad. She had never seen a pureblood demon ever convey much emotion before, but sad was the only word that could have described Sesshomaru at the moment. Whatever had affected him, it had to have been particularly powerful...

"Young girl..." She swiveled around all the way to face him, puzzled as to why he decided to directly address her. "Even _you _do not realize what is going on at the moment, do you?" She shook her head, still bewildered. He sighed darkly. "Then perhaps you'll find out in due time..."

He stood up, never taking his eyes from the horizon as he went on, "I must admit that the Shikkon Jewel has caused a lot of headache in the Western Lands, though no one, including me, ever would have thought that it would turn out this way. After all, for hundreds of years the demonslayers of Kyobe had guarded it jealously, believing that we would want it for its power, but only the most greedy and ignorant came, and they were all slain. We all knew better; we knew what it was capable of, and why it even existed... But now..." He trailed off, still not looking at her.

Kagome was flabbergasted. "What are you talking about? I thought that demons _wanted_ the Jewel!"

The youkai laughed bitterly. "Would we want a curse? Would we seek mortality with open arms? Only the most foolish would believe that they could bend the Shikkon Jewel to their will...that is, unless they wanted to carry out Midoriko's mission." He laughed again, summoning up his Cirrus with a wave of his hand and stepping onto it effortlessly.

"Tell Inuyasha that our rivalry is over, since he unquestionably won," he spat as a good-bye, speeding off as fast as the wind could carry him.

Kagome blinked. What was it with people talking to her and then storming off today? She had never exactly thought of herself as a disagreeable person...well, most of the time, anyway... She sighed, hunching over as the elated cries of the Houshi family continued to reach her ears. _(I have no idea what that was about, but he didn't tell me anything groundbreaking, at any rate. I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that once Inuyasha makes his wish to become a demon, something terrible will happen. Either he'll become a very very BAD demon and attempt to kill us all...or he'll trip on his own feet on his way out of the castle and die in a freak accident involving spikes.) _She put a hand on her face as an annoying tic in her eye popped up, which only came when she was severely stressed out. _(Seriously, I'm ready to have a psychotic episode, what with demons and humans and love affairs and clawed hands grabbing my shoulder-)_

"AIEEEEEEEEE!" she shrieked, jumping out of her own skin as she realized that the last item on her list was real. Even scarier, she _knew _that hand, she _knew _what was grabbing her, and if she wasn't severely mistaken she should probably get away fast-

"Relax, you jumpy little wench! It's just me!" Unable to help her reaction to that familiar voice, she whirled around, her eyes widening to the size of car tires as she realized what she saw.

It was Inuyasha...and he looked utterly and completely normal. Well, not normal if you considered it by human standards, but normal in the sense that he was looking his virile half-demon self.

"The _hell_!" she stammered, unable to take her eyes off of him.

"What!" he retorted, a very cross look on his face starting to show as he recognized the half-afraid look on hers. "I'm not THAT freaky-looking, am I!"

"No, no, not at all," she reassured him quickly, still staring at him. "But...but I thought---why are you still a half-demon! I thought you wanted to become a pureblooded one!"

His expression softened. "Well, I considered that," he said honestly, realizing he had scared her, "but then I realized something---on the night that we became mates, in fact. I watched you while you were sleeping---and then you grabbed my hand while you were dreaming...and you called out my name." He paused in order to swallow, his words apparently hard to say. "That night I realized that if I went through with this and became a demon---we - we'd never grow old together."

His explanation was all that Kagome needed. Sobbing ferociously, she flung herself into his arms, which held her tightly as she buried her head into his broad shoulder. It took her a couple minutes to compose herself, and even when she backed away to get a good look at him she was still just seconds away from more tears. "Does this mean you're m-mortal?" she choked out, unable to stop her cracking voice. "That - that is wh - what you w-wished for?"

He nodded, rather close to tears himself. "Not just me: everyone."

"E-everyone?"

He laughed darkly. "Sesshomaru tried to stop me, but not even he could deny the fact that humans and demons would kill each other eventually if I didn't. Now we're on equal ground, and maybe we can work together instead of fighting." He cursed under his breath. "Damn, I'm getting corny..."

Kagome smiled wistfully, clasping her hand in his. "There aren't any demons in my time period---at least that I know of. You did the right thing, Inuyasha." She suddenly froze, realizing the absence of something around his neck.

"What is it?"

"Your rosary," she said dully, caressing his neck where it had once been. "I forgot---it's gone now. And so is the Shikkon Jewel." She swallowed hard. "That - that means I can't go home anymore. I'm stuck here."

"And that is bad _because_--? If you're stuck here then I get you all to myself," he breathed into her ear, pausing to kiss it.

She brightened immediately. "Is that a proposal?"

He shrugged. "More or less. If you have to stuff me into some ugly clothes and have a wedding then I 'spose I don't mind." He smiled deviously. "Besides, there's something called a wedding _night _that I'll have to look forward to."

Kagome swatted at him. "...You're getting to be as bad as Miroku."

"Heh, and maybe he'll teach me some tricks before the big night!"

"Inuyasha, don't you even DARE!"

"Why not? It's not as if you won't benefi-"

"SIT!"

"Feh, you silly wench! Sit doesn't work on me anymore!"

"Ah, but I know what does!"

"And what is that?"

"Permanent celibacy!"

"Feh, do you think that really scares me! You'll have to do a better job than that if you wanna scare me! ...Um, Kagome, what is celibacy?"

"Argh, you are just IMPOSSIBLE!"

With that the couple began kissing voraciously, and the sheer stupidity of it caused Shippo, who had been watching the proceedings from behind a rock, to roll his eyes disgustedly. "If THIS is what I have to go through when I hit puberty in a couple years," he snorted, swatting at a stray mosquito, "then I wish Inuyasha would have just wished to be a demon!"

Author's Note: And this is the end of the meat of the story. There's a two part epilogue left, but the Naraku plotline is officially over.

Before someone asks me about the whole mortal thing: to explain it in my words, Inuyasha wished for all demons to become mortal. This means that they now have the normal lifespan of a human and so age much more quickly. When I watched the canon there was a noticeable lack of demons (with a few exceptions) in Kagome's time period, so I assume that something must have happened in order for it to be that way.

Sorry, no review replies this time! I'll have them up like normal next chapter, but I figured that everyone would rather have the update than to wait a few more days.

Until then, sayonara!


	24. Epilogue

Disclaimer: The Inuyasha series is not property of moi.

Author's Note: And here is part uno of the epilogue, which within a few weeks should have a second and final part. A word of warning: this epilogue might not be everyone's cup of tea, mine included.

It was a damp morning in late September, a damp, rainy morning that seemed almost reminiscent of the stormy summer a year before, and not a morning where you would expect anything extraordinary to happen. A persistent gray rain fell steadily down from the clouded sky; having started around dusk on the previous day, it was now wearing out its welcome, creating murky puddles and causing the nearby river to swell, much to the chagrin of the inhabitants of Kaede's village.

It was the pitter-patter of this persistent rain upon the roof that eventually woke Kagome, causing her to groan tiredly and to bury her face into the pillow. It was entirely too early to wake up yet; she had kept up some late hours the night previous, and besides, Kaede would probably not be needing her yet.

One thing bothered her, though. She couldn't quite explain why, but she felt extremely cold. She couldn't sleep like this, not with the chill of the morning and everything...

Her head snapped up when her groggy head came to a revelation. _(Oh, that bastard...)_

Letting out a ferocious little growl, she propped herself up upon one arm and yanked the fur coverlets back from Inuyasha, who was snoring uproariously. Now warm and cozy again, she snuggled back into sleeping mode, feeling contented and the episode forgotten. Well, at least for a few seconds...

"_Hey_!" A groggy voice floated over to her ears, sounding slightly put off. "Whazza think you're doinnnnnnnng?" The sentence had ended in a full, wide yawn, but Kagome glared at its speaker vehemently, though he DID look rather comical with his drooping ears, atrocious bed hair, and bleary eyes.

"Haven't you learned the concept of sharing the covers yet, you idiot!" she challenged Inuyasha, fighting the urge to laugh as she noticed that a part of his bangs was defying gravity and sticking up straight into the air.

"Well, why didn't ya yank 'em back from me?" he replied sleepily, rolling over on his side to face her.

"I did, you bonehead! But then you woke up!" She rolled her eyes, then promptly closing them in hopes of getting a bit more sleep before she had to get up for the day. "Now fall asleep again; I'm tired 'cause of your neverending sex drive."

Unfortunately, that woke him up even more. "Hey!" he sputtered indignantly. "Last night was actually YOUR idea!"

"Not the three or four times part of it!" Kagome shot back, realizing that going back to sleep was for the most part futile. "And I _absolutely _do _not_ take credit for that thing with the ramen!"

He scratched an ear confusedly. "Only four?" he asked her in a pondering tone. "Ah well." He brushed it off quickly, getting to the point. "You really shouldn't pretend to complain. You liked it and you know it," he added huskily, caressing her supple breast with a calloused hand.

She laughed genuinely at his sheer arrogance. "...Maybe I did," she admitted honestly, almost laughing again as he let out a low growl in response to her tweaking one of his ears. "Though I've gotta admit, you've got a lot more stamina than anyone deserves, even on nights with a new moon." She sat up and swung out of bed, realizing that if they got further into this conversation BOTH of them would cave and they'd end up spending the entire day in bed (something that they had enjoyed doing a lot the previous winter).

He watched her as he threw her ratty, horrendously pink bathrobe onto her naked form and pad out of the room determinedly, apparently ready for the obstacles of the day. They had been married for over a year now, but _damn_, he still couldn't help but blush as he stared at those slim, curvaceous hips and those small, firm breasts bursting within the confines of that ugly robe...

He had definitely made the right decision in choosing Kagome over Kikyo, and of forfeiting his immortality in order to spend his entire life with her. He loved this woman, her shrewishness included. It was great to argue with someone instead of watching them cower in fear at him, not to mention there was also the fact that he always got to "make up with her" afterwar---_damn_ that perverted Miroku! His lechery was beginning to rub off on _him, _even though he had hitherto considered himself a rather frigid person when it came to those kinds of matters.

He threw on his clothes (not his fire-engine red ensemble, Kagome insisted that he try wearing other colors) and headed for the kitchen in their small but comfortable home, feeling rather hungry. Kagome was already at the table, eating a small bowl of leftover rice. "So what are you doing today?" she asked him, watching him pilfer one of the bread loaves that she had baked the previous day.

"Hunting over in the forest," he replied, kneeling across from her, "and nothing else, thank god." Kagome raised an eyebrow but didn't reply, knowing what he meant without even asking. Besides Kagome's livelihood as Kaede's apprentice, the couple sustained themselves both through Inuyasha's hunting and his work in the rice fields for a share of the harvest. Needless to say, Inuyasha didn't like the arrangement of the latter but bit his tongue, though he still distrusted the majority of the other villagers just as they distrusted him. In fact, Kagome knew that the running gossip among the women was that she was aiming to be a wonderful village priestess yet had gone terribly awry in marrying Inuyasha, who they claimed still had it in for them all. She almost laughed as she recalled all of the hushed whispers that seemed to follow her every time she and Inuyasha were seen around the village together; they certainly didn't seem to have a handle on what the poor guy was _really _like.

"When are you coming back?" she asked him, a sudden idea popping into her head as she realized that one of Sango's sausage sticks, which she had intended to eat along with the rice, was looking sorely neglected at the side of her plate.

"Whenever I get something," he replied noncommittally, gesturing vaguely to the Tetsusaiga in the corner, which was standing there in the first place because of Kagome's refusal to let him wear it to bed.

She picked up the sausage deliberately, playing around with it in her mouth. "Oh...well then," she said lightly, grazing it with her teeth. "I suppose I'll have more to look forward to tonight than just whatever you kill..."

He almost choked on his bread as he watched her, finally managing to stammer out, "Will - will you EAT that already, 'cause if you don't I'm gonna reach across the table and not even bother waiting for tonight!"

She ended it by snapping part of the sausage off with her pearly teeth and chewing slowly, causing him to be infuriated even more. "It's nice to know that you finally get my subversive messages," she said nonchalantly, devouring the rest of it in one bite. "I was afraid for a moment there that my friend Ayumi was right."

Turning red and ignoring her, he finished the rest of his breakfast, then standing up and thrusting the Tetsusaiga through his belt. He was almost through the door and had turned to say good-bye to Kagome when he noticed her hunched over the table, suddenly looking rather pale and holding her stomach. Feeling concerned at her abrupt change in health, he walked back over and grabbed her shoulder in an attempt to get her attention, something that he rued seconds later---

"ARGHHH!" When he had grabbed her shoulder, he had gotten her undivided attention all right; the problem _was _was that he had gotten the wrong kind. Turning rather green himself, he looked regretfully down at his shirt front, which was now full of -how can we put this politely- the undigested remains of Kagome's breakfast.

Now having noticed him, Kagome's eyes were as wide as saucers (though that was partly due to the fact that she was still retching). "Oh god, I'm so sorry!" she gasped after a moment, noticing the look on his face. "I didn't SEE you there behind me!"

"Uh---that's OK," he replied, wrinkling his sensitive nose. "But what's up with that? You looked fine a minute ago!"

"I was," she croaked, hunching over again. "Then again, I wasn't. I did the same thing two mornings ago after you left, and yesterday I felt sick for awhile but didn't throw up." She sighed, staring down at her stomach. "I don't know what's up with me."

"You'd better bring it up with Kaede," he said stiffly, unable to help but feel a more than a little worried at her sudden malaise. "If your breakfast doesn't stay down there, then it can't be good." He turned to leave again, looking rather forward to an impromptu bath in the river.

"Oh, you're such a pessimist!" she exclaimed, waving him away. "But all right---I'll have her check me over."

She thought he had left but was proven wrong a moment later when his head appeared back in the doorway. "Oh yeah," he started, his mouth twitching in amusement, "I guess this means no sausage for you tonight."

"Oh, damn you!" she giggled vehemently, waving him away again. "Just go hunting already!"

An hour later found Kagome leaving their little house, having sufficiently recovered enough in order to go Kaede's and to begin her work for the day. Her stomach was still a bit sore and every now and then gave off a painful little jolt, but it wasn't enough to keep her home, and besides, it wouldn't do her any good to spend the entire day in bed waiting for Inuyasha to get back.

She whistled happily as she swept past the Sacred Tree a few yards away from the house, careful not to stain her kimono on the wet, dewy grass. Although she still often wore what modern clothes she had brought with her on the last trip (and remember, that had been quite a lot), on cold, rainy days like this she preferred to wear a simple kimono. Though she could never quite get used to tying that annoying obi in the back; she always forced Inuyasha to tie it for her if he was around (though she always suspected that despite his grumbling he always liked an excuse to touch her).

At any rate, she was now headed for Kaede's; she was now her apprentice, and would be the village priestess once she passed away, assisted by Miroku, who had the authority to perform exorcisms and carry out certain rituals. Actually, she would be the first married priestess the village had ever seen. She knew that because of this she'd never _ever_ outstrip Kikyo in terms of spiritual power, but it didn't matter to her anymore. Kikyo was something of the past, and although she never knew exactly what had happened between her and Inuyasha in Naraku's castle (other than the fact that he had slain the woman, which she suspected was because she was partly in league with Naraku), she trusted whatever Inuyasha had done implicitly. He had never told her exactly what had happened on that day under the waterfall either, but it was something that she really didn't want to know, nor was it something that he wanted to recall. She knew that he was genuinely sorry, and they'd just leave it at that.

She walked through the sleepy village towards the shrine, savoring that quiet that was present every morning when everyone was just waking up. A few villagers were out and about here and there, but most were staying inside because of rain. When she got to her destination she entered the shrine soundlessly, allowing herself to drip rainwater onto the rush mat at the doorway before going in further to the old priestess, who seemed to be fashioning some sort of rosary by the fire.

"You are late, child," the old woman chided her gently, not even looking up from her work upon hearing Kagome enter.

"Oh, -er- I'm sorry," she said shiftily, removing her wooden clogs and leaving them near the doorway. "Where's Miroku?" she asked on an afterthought; he was something of a blabbermouth and she didn't want him around when she was asking the older woman to figure out what was wrong with her.

"Exorcism," came the reply. "He left about an hour ago for the neighboring village."

"Er -well," she began, sitting down next to her, "I was wondering if you could check me over. I've got some kind of illness but I'm not sure what it is."

"I will certainly try," the older woman answered, noting her pale face for the first time. "I have some skill as a healer; I can sense auras and treat some sicknesses. Lie down."

Kagome obeyed, lying on her back with her arms at her sides. Kaede started by feeling her up and down, asking her what hurt and what didn't. When this ended up not working, the old priestess began resorting to questions.

"What is wrong, exactly?"

"For the past few mornings I've either been tossing my cookies or in danger of it. This awful wave of pain just suddenly engulfs me, and-"

"Always in the morning?"

"Yes. But I don't see what that has to do with anyt-"

"Any changes in your appetite?"

"Well, obviously not too much in the morning, but I get back to normal after lunch." She paused, thinking back to the previous few days. "Well...come to think of it, I can really pack it in after that," she admitted, wondering what the older woman was getting at with all of these questions.

"Any other pain?"

"No, not really..."

"Sleeping well?"

"As far as I know."

"Do you know if you're gaining weight; feeling bloated or tired?"

"Maybe I've gained a little weight...and _sometimes _I feel tired."

"Any violent outbursts, mood swings, sudden changes in temperament?"

She rolled her eyes. "No---except when Inuyasha is being a doofus."

Kaede nodded, almost as if in confirmation. "And what of your monthly-"

This was getting to be way too much for Kagome. "_Why _are you asking about THAT!" she asked in a rather high voice, wondering what was with all of the personal questions.

"It is merely one of the symptoms for your suspected 'illness'," she replied smoothly, gesturing for her to answer.

The younger woman bit her lip. "Er -well- _no_, I skipped the last two months," she started. "But that happens to me sometimes," she added quickly, praying that it wasn't something serious. She remembered something that she had learned in her dreaded health class, that -well- _alterations in the cycle _often meant that something abnormal was going on within the body biologically, but... "But come to think of it---I don't think I've ever missed TWO in a row..." She gulped, looking to Kaede for an answer.

The answer came in the form of a laugh.

"What could possibly be funny about this!" she demanded in an agitated voice, wanting to deck Kaede for the all the world for her lack of concern. "I'm sicker than a dog and you think it's funny!"

"But it is," the old priestess choked, patting the distraught girl's shoulder. After that, however, she straightened up, and began to explain what was wrong in a steady voice. "I do know what is wrong with you; in fact, it isn't even a rare occurrence for girls your age. This 'illness' is a long one, however, and I estimate that you will continue to carry it for at least another six months. During that time you will likely continue to throw up, swell up and bloat to a much bigger size, and oftentimes feel grumpier than a hibernating animal. The sickness finally culminates abruptly with what I am told is the most excruciating and slow pain that you will ever experience. " She shook her head, her mouth twitching. "I feel sorry already for your poor husband."

Now she WAS grouchier than a hibernating animal. "Will you tell me the name of this mysterious illness already, Kaede, before I decide to throw up on someone again?" she snapped, crossing her arms.

The old woman was unfazed at her rudeness. "Well, I suppose, if you want a name...pregnancy."

This only caused Kagome to laugh. "Yeah, sure. Now will you tell me what it _really _is?"

"Pregnancy."

"Oh, come on. If you don't know what I have, then at least admit it!"

"Kagome, child, the signs all point to it. You ARE with child."

It finally hit home. Kagome's eyes widened exponentially, her hand shaking as it slowly strayed down to her belly. She still, however, tried to deny it. "But - but we haven't been trying!" she sputtered, looking at Kaede confusedly. "In fact, we've never even TALKED about having children! And I've been wearing my charm, all the time; in fact, I never take it off except when I'm bathing-"

The priestess raised an eyebrow. "'Bathing'? Are you sure?"

The younger woman thought for a moment, combing through her mind back to few months ago when the weather had been much warmer and the stream a lot more hospitable for bathing. No, she hadn't had her charm on a lot of those times, but that STILL didn't mean that she and Inuyasha had-

She mentally slapped herself. Shit. They HAD. Several times.

"All right, all right," she conceded miserably, wondering how she hadn't deduced it earlier. "So I'm pregnant. What happens now?"

Inuyasha hummed rather tunelessly as he dragged the large deer carcass out from the edge of the woods and into the village. It had been a great day for hunting, and he barely had to wait an hour before a foolish animal had crossed his path. Now it was time to skin and gut it...and then perhaps after that it wouldn't be long until Kagome came back; the sun peeking shyly out of the retreating rainclouds told him that it was roughly noon.

Ignoring the stares of some of the more inquisitive villagers, he continued to amble along across the villages, feeling happier than a lark. He was often happy these days; it was quite obvious to him that Kagome had something to do with it, as well as the fact that his mind was no longer occupied with thoughts of Kikyo. _(I don't think ANYTHING could get me down right now,) _he thought honestly, continuing to pad across the village. _It's so great living like this; I haven't a worry in the world in months!)_

"Oi, Inuyasha!" He whirled around at the calling of the familiar voice, knowing who it was before he even turned.

"Oi yourself, Miroku!" he called back, smirking as he noticed the enormous lump on the monk's head as well as the dejected look on his face. "What are you doing outside the shrine!"

"I went over to Kanyube for an exorcism," the monk explained rather ashamedly, shifting his sandals around in the dirt. "Everything would have went fine, but the woman and her daughter who lived in the house -well-"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Oh god, Miroku, you _didn't-_"

"No, it's not what you think! I had actually felt up the daughter _four and a half years ago, _before I even MARRIED Sango! But she still remembered," he said miserably, trying to make Inuyasha sympathetic, "and she still cleaned my clock."

"Feh, you deserved it, you used to feel up anything that moved," the half-demon said underhandedly, continuing to head towards home. Miroku tagged along, staring impressed at the large buck that Inuyasha had caught.

"Is some of that for me?" he asked him sneakily.

"I don't see why not," he replied, grinning, "since you're too nancy to hunt anyway. Just tell Sango to make those long sausages of hers, all right?"

Miroku furrowed his brow. "But I thought you hated those."

The monk pretended not to notice and concluded that he definitely did not want to know when the hanyou started to turn red. "Er---never mind, I will not ask."

They had now stopped near the doorway to the shrine, but poor Miroku, who did not relish telling Kaede what had happened, decided to peek in the window in order to check out the playing field instead. "Hey, Inuyasha!" he said a minute later, gesturing the half-demon over. "Get over here and look; Kaede and Kagome are talking, and Kagome seems to be crying!"

"WHAT!" was the reply, and suddenly Miroku found himself pushed out of the way. Inuyasha blinked as he stared into the half-lit room, where Kaede seemed to be trying to console a rather shocked-looking Kagome, who had tears running down her delicate face.

Suddenly Miroku's hand grabbed Inuyasha's shoulder. "Er---Inuyasha, I think we'd better move windows. If they find out we're eavesdropping -well-"

They ran around to the side of the shrine hurriedly, where there was another window, Inuyasha dragging the deer behind him. They practically bumped heads as they fought to look inside, both of them shocked yet curious.

"Do you have any idea how long it's been inside me?" Kagome was asking Kaede anxiously, wringing her hands and giving a general show of nervousness.

"About three months, I would say."

"That long!"

"You cannot always tell right away."

"But - but I wasn't expecting this! I - I don't know what to do..."

"For awhile you will be able to carry on normally, with some of the symptoms that you are having now. Eventually, though, you will get a lot more sedentary, and you should stop exerting yourself then. In about six months, that day will come when-"

Inuyasha couldn't listen anymore. Feeling shocked, he slowly slid down against the shrine wall, at a loss for what to do. Miroku sank down quickly too, his face a mirror image of Inuyasha's. "Is she...afflicted with an illness?" he finally asked concernedly.

"She's gotta be," he replied in a dazed voice, "she's been sick for a few days now. I told her to bring it up with Kaede, but I didn't expect it to - to be THIS bad."

"Don't assume the worst," Miroku said quickly, seeing where this was going. "It could be anything, you know."

"Well, how can I NOT assume the worst, you moron! From what we heard it seems pretty serious!"

"Well, I-"

Meanwhile (while the two eavesdroppers were talking among themselves and not listening), Kagome and Kaede had taken a different bent in their conversation. "So have you ever seen someone who's a quarter demon before?" she asked curiously, toying at her kimono fabric at the stomach. "I mean, will my baby look more demon or human? Or is it even possible that the poor thing could end up like - like Jinenji?"

She closed her eyes at the very thought. "But Inuyasha turned out normal, so that makes it less likely, right?"

Kaede, who actually traveled to the unfortunate half-demon's garden often in order to purchase herbs, quickly nodded in agreement. " You are right in saying that. I have only heard of mutations like that happening in half-demons, Kagome," she said reassuringly, "and even so, they only tend to occur when the demon parent is of a particular species. I have never heard of it happening in a dog-demon. As for your child's appearance, she will most likely look like both of you. Maybe she will have Inuyasha's hair, his eyes, his ears, his claws, perhaps (but hopefully not) even his temper. You won't know until she is born."

Kagome, though now feeling relieved, wrinkled her brow. "You said 'her'?"

"I read your aura, as I will teach you further on in your apprenticeship. The baby is without a doubt a girl."

Now it REALLY hit home. Excitement now replaced anxiety and Kagome hopped up happily, the color flooding back into her face. "Aiyeee, this is so exciting!" she exclaimed, dancing around the room. "I'm going to have a baby in six months! I can hardly believe it!" She suddenly stopped, turning to look at Kaede. "Hey, do you mind if I leave for awhile? I really need to tell Sango about all this! Please, Kaede?"

The old priestess smiled and waved her away. "You may go...for the day, in fact. But be ready to work again tomorrow morning."

"Yes, I will! Thank you, Kaede!" she exclaimed, running out of the shrine without even bothering to grab her shoes.

"AIYEEEEEE!" The high-pitched shriek caused both men outside to jump a few inches, much to their surprise and concern.

"Oh my, forget what I said," Miroku declared woefully, putting his head in his hands. "She is in pain. Horrible, excruciating pain."

He was rewarded with a punch in the side. "Shut up, you moron!" Inuyasha snarled angrily. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that if you say it it'll come true!" He hung his head for a minute, ripping out a clump of grass with one of his hands. "Oh, what am I saying!" he burst out again, flinging the grass away. "Her days are probably numbered!"

Both whirled around when they heard someone leave the shrine. As soon as the person was far away enough they saw that it was Kagome, who was running as fast as she could in the direction of the Sacred Tree.

"Someone should tell her that she should not be running with such a deadly illness," Miroku said miserably, watching her go.

"Hey, why don't we follow her?" Inuyasha suggested, his steely eyes following the direction in which she was running.

"I suppose we should," the monk replied thoughtfully, standing up and brushing the grass from his robes, "though I have no idea to where. Hmmm...if I were Kagome and I had a life-threatening, debilitating illness, where would _I _go?" He paused, apparently thinking hard. "Ah yes, she would most certainly go to talk to Sango!"

Without another word they both sped off, neither of them bothering to recall that they hadn't heard the entire conversation.

* * *

Kagome was treated to an array of sights, smells, and sounds as she stepped into Sango and Miroku's little house. The little kitchen was just bursting with activity; something was bubbling merrily at the hearth, Shippo sat teaching Kyoko how to draw, and Kohaku, unable to work because of the morning rain, was sharpening something in the corner. Sango herself sat at the table mending something, keeping a watchful eye on the baby nearby. She smiled when she noticed Kagome in the doorway, and immediately urged her to sit down. "Come on in, Kagome!" she said cheerfully, putting down her mending. "What brings you here?"

When she noticed that Kagome hadn't answered and was instead looking around at everyone else nervously, she stood up and waved everyone away firmly. "Out, all of you!" she declared, shooing Kohaku out of his seat and picking up Shippo and Kyoko's crayons. "Come back in awhile; Kagome needs to talk to me privately!"

As soon as the others had left (albeit reluctantly, especially Shippo) and Kagome had been ushered into a seat at the table, she grabbed Sango's hand and exclaimed excitedly, "Sango, I - I'm pregnant!"

The other woman was silent for a moment, digesting those four words, but presently her eyes lit up and her face became a mirror image of Kagome's, fresh and excited. "Kagome, finally! Miroku and I were speculating on when it would happen, but we never thought it would be this soon! In fact, we even had a bet goi-"

Kagome's eyes widened. "WHAT!"

Sango's eyes sparkled mischievously. "You heard that correctly, Kagome. I said that it would take two years for you to convince Inuyasha and Miroku said that you guys would probably have a - an accident." She sighed angrily. "Looks like he wins..." She snapped out that thought, however, and now began to look ecstatic. "Oh my, this is wonderful...Now we'll both have kids - they can play with each other and grow up together..."

"I agree," Kagome replied enthusiastically, "and to top it off, Kaede says it's going to be a girl. A cute little baby girl!" she squealed, clasping her hands. "And I only have to wait six months! Just think, from now till then I'll have to be getting ready for her! I need a cradle, and some bigger clothes for me, and some pink baby clothes, of course"

"I have just the thing!" Sango announced happily, getting up and leaving the room, returning a moment later with a pair of pink baby booties. "Taisho turned out to be a boy, obviously, so I didn't need these... And we can make lots more, of course."

"Oh yes, thank you," Kagome replied breathlessly, marveling at how small the clothes were. "I'm sure I'll have plenty of time in the later months; I'm pretty sure I won't be fit to be working, after all...Oh man, I'm so excited!" she repeated again, slumping against the table happily. "I can't believe this is happening!"

The ex-demonslayer patted the sleeping bundle next to her. "Yes, and they're all precious. Especially the surprise ones. Taisho is almost three months now..."

Kagome laughed. "I bet Miroku's happier than a lark."

"He most certainly is..." Again Sango's eyes sparkled as she looked up. "So how did it happen?"

Kagome's smile faded. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when and how? You must not have been wearing your charm when it happened-"

The younger girl blushed. "Oh, that? I'm not sure _when _exactly, but I assume it was while I was bathing in the stream. That's the only time I ever remove it, you know, so I don't lose it."

It was at this point that Inuyasha and Miroku had caught up to Kagome and had situated themselves just under the front window, and were now hearing everything that was said (unfortunately, it had never occurred to either of them that it was quite rude to eavesdrop). Unluckily for them, however, the girls' current subject of conversation had now irrevocably veered away, and it was causing Miroku to get more disturbingly excited and Inuyasha to cringe with each progressive word.

"Prim and proper Kagome doing it in the outdoors, eh? You've changed..."

"Oh, quit teasing me, Sango! It's not my fault that Inuyasha can't keep his pants up in a semi-public place! I keep _telling _him that we'll get caught sometime, but then again, it's my fault for letting him."

"Miroku's much the same way about that, I'm afraid. He has absolutely no shame."

"Feh, men anyway..."

"You know, I've always wondered, Kagome: does your husband like it rough?"

"Actually, not normally. In fact, quite the opposite. But whenever I somehow convince him he seems to have this fear that he's hurting me or something. If I so much as tell him to get his hair out of the way so I can see his face he'll reply with a 'Am I hurting you'?"

"Really?"

Kagome proceeded to show her an example. "Inuyasha, would you mind going a little slower?"

Sango laughed, catching on. "Am I hurting you?"

"Inuyasha, would you mind going a lot faster?"

"Am I hurting you?"

"Inuyasha, for crying out loud, would you stop with the 'Am I hurting you's?' If it hurt I'd most likely not be moaning your name every five seconds right now!"

"Am I hurting you?"

Both of the women burst into uncontrollable giggles, having had their joke. As soon as they had composed themselves Sango was ready with a story of her own. "Well, that's nothing compared to Miroku," she declared, snorting back a laugh. "Over the years I've determined that he has two great loves: my cooking, and, quite obviously, sex." She put her head in her hands, her chest heaving with unexpelled giggles. "Unfortunately for me, he has learned how to combine the two."

Kagome waved it off. "Oh, that nothing compared to what Inuyasha does," she announced. "Just last night, he got a dirty idea when he saw me boiling up some ramen..." She whispered the rest, blushing like a tomato as they both broke out into hysterical giggles. "It was _awful! _I'd never seen him so embarrassed in my life!"

As the girls launched into several hysterical bouts of laughter, Inuyasha's usually grumpy-looking expression turned into one of utter revulsion. "Those two are _sick_," he choked, cocking an ear towards the window and temporarily forgetting why he was eavesdropping in the first place.

Miroku, on the other hand, was still disturbingly excited. "Hey, I didn't know that women talked about stuff like this! This is great!"

"I - I didn't know either..."

"Well, I suppose it must be a good thing, right? Otherwise they wouldn't mention anything, would they?" The monk giggled insanely. "Though I have to admit, none of these revelations make you look too manly, Inuyasha."

The hanyou's head snapped up. "Well, at least I don't enjoy my sushi and rice a little too much, you lech!"

"Well, at least MY wife does not have me on a leash and choker, you pansy!"

"Swine!"

"Sissy!"

"Bandit!"

Suddenly a rather large tea kettle came sailing out the open window, clipping Miroku right on the head while also inundating him with freezing water. Gulping miserably, he looked up and saw Sango standing over him, a very dangerous look etched onto her face. "Why, you _perverts_!" she snarled, glaring at each of them in turn. "Only you two would sit outside a window to listen to stuff like this!" Her eyes flashed angrily. "Now get out of here before I rip off all your appendages!"

Miroku, whose instincts had been well-honed by a variety of sharp kitchen utensils,

somehow managed to duck another barrage of objects coming out of the window, but Inuyasha was not quite so lucky. Although he had not been aimed at quite as much as Miroku, an almost-empty flour sack still managed to float over his way, spilling its remaining contents onto his lap. Since this was Inuyasha and not Einstein we are talking about here, he immediately hopped up and tried to brush the offending stuff off his clothes, only succeeding in flurrying it up and causing his sensitive nose to twitch. Soon he was sneezing uncontrollably, stirring it up even more every time he made a move. Thoroughly embarrassed, he got up and ran back towards home, still stopping every now and then to sneeze.

Miroku giggled insanely as he watched the poor half-demon go, tears almost spilling out of his eyes as he observed him trip right over a tree root in mid-sneeze. "Oh, heavens," he murmured, rubbing his throbbing head, which was now graced with three more lumps to match his first one. "This is even funnier than the time I put poison oak in his pants while he was swimming in the river!" His eyes misted over with glee, recalling a particularly hilarious week four years previous in which his friend would start scratching himself the minute Kagome turned her back.

"What's this?" he muttered again, feeling something on the top of his head that hadn't been there previously. His eyes widened as he grabbed it and scrutinized it; it was a pink baby bootie, innocent-looking enough yet deadly in its own context. "Hey, wait just a second...this is one of the extras that Sango had... And apparently there is something wrong with Kagome..." He pieced it all together within a minute, an absolutely evil grin etched onto his face as he realized the implications that this held.

"Heh, Inuyasha, your bad day's about to get a whole lot worse..."

Author Note: Part II coming soon! (Hopefully.)

ladykagome34: The lemon exists, it's just in hiding. Go to my author profile, click on the link saying homepage, and voila! You should be at the lemon is a hidden file and only can be accessed through that link.

AmberuMukku: Thank you for all the wonderful compliments! I've seen a few fics that I couldn't stop reading myself, including His by arisu the pink and Stolen Soul by --uh, I can't recall the author's name. And I hear you about the lemons. Although this one turned out decent in the end, I might never make another one, even in other stories.

Laura: Hello from Minnesota! I greatly envy you for getting the chance to go to Japan. You're absolutely right about the ending being disjointed; I vaguely remember writing it. It's hard when the document is getting up in pages and you're afraid to add more without boring everyone to death. And I am tentatively working on a second Inuyasha story, although it's nothing like this one. _Oh Crap_ is funny and fluffy... :)

Casui: Referring to your questions:

1. Yeah, Miroku did promise her that...but my story splits off from the canon right after Kouga's tribe gets almost wiped out. The Miroku/Sango thing is after that point, I think... I'm not sure exactly when it occurs, since I've only seen up to episode 55 or so.

2. Inuyasha has the sit beads for most of the story, but during the chapter before this one the rosary broke during the battle with Naraku. So Inuyasha is technically free to do whatever he wants...

Thanks for reading:)

xfalsetruth06x: You have every right to be picky. And you're right; she SHOULDN'T be toting a bar of soap around in Feudal Japan, not without having brought it herself. Thanks for bringing it to my attention; if I ever revise this fic that mistake will definitely be on the fix list.

Also thanks to: kagomeandinuyasha4everandever, queen-of-the-songfics, Sexi sox, Haylie, imkagomeKAGOME, FuTuRe, PeRfEcT, ArtificialRed, dreamers soul, Anime-Devil-101, a.l.a.i, bettychan, Hanyou-ass, gabby, Mini Nicka, and Drake Clawfang. I hope I'm doing the epilogue justice:)


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